The Man at the Crossroads
by ZareEraz
Summary: Fem!Watanuki/Doumeki: Watanuki doesn't want to walk to school with Doumeki when Yuko urges her too, but on the way to school she meets a spirit four times and loses something important. Now it's up to Doumeki, Watanuki and Yuko to repair the damage before its too late.
1. Falling Asleep

A/N: It was inevitable that I write for this fandom. ZareEraz here! I've been a xxxHolic fan for a couple years now, and only just decided to write my own fanfiction for it. I'm warning all you readers that I'm one of those writers who _adores_ to genderbend characters, just take a peek at the Tiger & Bunny fandom I submit too! Anyway, this is my first fic for this ship so be nice! Enjoy and don't forget to comment!

Disclaimer: I do not own CLAMP, they own me!

Chapter One: Falling Asleep

Kimihiro Watanuki woke up that day with a black pork bun smothering her. Throwing the offending, wailing Mokona off her face, she gasped for air and began her day with the loudest rant ever on be courteous to people when their sleeping and not _killing _them!

"I mean, honestly, can't you go find your own pillow to sleep on instead of using my face?" She screamed at the black furball.

"Mokona was bored of his pillow! Watanuki is so much better!" Mokona rolled around the floor while the blackhaird girl tried to catch him. She tripped over her own feet, her vision blurry and decided that glasses might be a good thing to wear while chasing a black thing in the dark.

"So muchbe~tter!" Maru and Moro repeated as they pranced into the room and merry-go-rounded the black haired girl as she ran. "Bett~er! Bett~er!"

"Everyone get out!" Watanuki's scream was loud enough to push the troublesome trio out the door and wake Yuko who was sleeping at the other end of the shop.

"Watanuki! Stop that racket this early in the morning!" The witch's shout shook the walls.

"It's not my fault!"

"Even if it's not your fault keep it down! I have a headache!" Yuko's scream turned into a moan before she even finished.

"Well, that's what to get for drinking eleven bottles of sake behind my back yesterday! I warned you!" Grabbing her glasses and fresh school uniform she'd packed yesterday when Yuko asked her to stay over and make breakfast, Watanuki went into the bathroom to change, shutting the twins and Mokona out with a bang when they tried to follow.

"Awwww!~" Maru and Moro whined.

"Watanuki! Mokona is hungry! Make me food!" The black furball bounced, his feet making a popping noise.

"Let me get dressed first! Geez! I can't make food half naked!" The girl took care of morning duties and threw her sleeping yukata on the floor. She yanked her skirt on over her slim hips and next came her white shirt, sliding comfortably over her petite breasts, before sitting on the toilet and pulling her socks on. She didn't know how the witch did it, but suddenly Yuko was at the bathroom door, having rolled her hungover ass out of bed and to the other side of the house in no time at all.

"I know who'd like their food prepared by a half named chef…" She started mysteriously through the door.

_Who…? _Watanuki mused while pulling her messy black hair into a high pony tail and tying it off with a midnight blue ribbon that brought luck. A present from Yuko on her last birthday. Only she had to make a six course meal for the celebration as compensation.

"Doumeki!" Yuko crooned. That did it. Watanuki slammed the door open, face red, teeth sharp and cross popping veins showing red on her forehead.

"IF I EVER MAKE HALF NAKED FOOD IT WOULD NOT BE FOR THAT SELFISH, JERKASS BASTARD!" Smoke puffed from her nose like an angry bull as she panted with exertion.

"Ooo! Someone's angry!" Yuko purred from behind a wall.

"Yeah! Angry~!" Maru giggled.

"Angry~!" Moro seconded.

"Watanuki's sh~aking!" They cried in unison, clapping hands and running to hide behind Yuko.

"Scary!" The witch crooned. "Then who would you make half naked food for?" She asked mysteriously. She already knew the answer, but she wanted to tease her little worker a bit more. Of course Watanuki rose to the bait.

"WARI-KUN~ OF COURSE!" The flexible girl wriggled around, an ecstatic look on her face while she sang her crush's cuteness to the heavens. "He's so handsome and sweet~! I'd love to make food for him every day!~"

"But you do…" Yuko started, but she let it be while Watanuki was in his own sunshine world.

"But that's only if I ever cooked food half naked! That's unsanitary!" The girl huffed and walked out of the bathroom to go make breakfast for four ungrateful people and bentos for one perfectly perfect man and another man whom she despised.

As she was toeing on her shoes in the entrance, Yuko watched the girl with hooded eyes. She was wearing an elaborate kimono in red and purple, moons and stars embroidered across the fabric in silver with petals accompanying them. Her hair was looped up in a huge bun with her bangs hanging down in long ribbons, and she played with one as she watched.

"You should wait for Doumeki at the temple. Walk to school with him." The witch cautioned. Not only would it be safer for the foreboding feeling the witch felt, but Yuko loved the entertainment as Doumeki got on Watanuki's nerves. Of course, she had seen the lingering looks from the boy, the complete devotion to the girl's safety was more that friendship and the soft smiles Doumeki reserved for Watanuki, but only when her back was turned. Of course, it was all lost on the seer and she just treated Doumeki like she always did: railing at him but then making him lunch every day and the boy didn't seem to mind in the least.

"I don't need a keeper! Especially if it's that guy!" She fumed, the warning lost on her rage. "I am perfectly capable of walking to school myself!" She stood up quickly and made to leave.

"Wait for Doumeki." Was shouted after her, but Watanuki ignored it. She stomped to school lost in her own world. When she came to the first crossroads her pencil pouch fell out of her unclasped bag and scattered all over the street.

"Damn!" The bespeckled girl cursed as she set down the bentos and made to pick up her things. "I was in such hurry that I didn't make sure everything was secure!" As she picked up the pouch's scattered contents, the girl didn't notice a shadowed man approaching from the right, a top hat on his head and an umbrella on his arm, unusual for such a sunny day. The man had walked past before Watanuki looked up and continued on her way, her pencil pouch now clasped in her bag. The next block flew by as she continued to speed walk to school, determined to pass the temple before her rival came out. At that next crossroads, Watanuki stepped on her own shoe lace and nearly fell on her face in the process.

"WHAA!" She caught herself and then cursed her rush once again, retying her shoe quickly. She didn't notice the shadowed man looking at her as he passed her by, his black eyes trained on her downturned face. He was gone when the girl looked up. "What is wrong with me today? I swear I was put together when I left Yuko-san's shop!" She walked on, oblivious to the reoccurring spirit. Then the temple came into view and Watanuki bristled like a hissing cat. _I do not need his help with anything! Why does Yuko-san always insist that I walk with that stone-faced bastard? All he does is piss me off every time I see is stoic face! _She stormed past the temple's gate in a quiet rage, trying not to alert her rival to her presence. She sighed in relief when no one followed her and said "Oi," just to tick her off. _I'm home free! _She nearly skipped in delight, but reined it in so she could be sneaky. She came to the next crossroads beaming until there were footsteps behind her.

"Oi." She snapped as Doumeki's monotone voice sounded behind her.

"I have a name and it's not 'oi!'" She screeched, whipping around. The boy's hands were glued to the side of his head as he tipped away from the screaming girl, his briefcase slung on one arm. "And what are you doing here so early? Don't you have chores to do?" Her voice got louder as her annoyance at being caught escalated.

"I got a note from that person earlier this morning." He droned, wiping Watanuki's spit off his summer uniform.

"AND?" The girl pressured, irritated that he didn't go on and explain himself. A shadow passed behind the girl, invisible to both teens as he smirked cruelly and tipped his hat at his next victim.

"Did you bring salmon rolls?" That did it.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK I AM? A CATERING SERVICE?!" Doumeki's hands were up again as he plugged his ears to the screaming girl. "HERE!" She shoved the wrapped bentos into his hands and sped walked away.

"Don't be so melodramatic." He called after the fuming Watanuki, juggling the bentos with ease. Doumeki really thought she was cute like this: angry, her face all red. She was always just so open with her emotions; it was a nice change from his subdued personality. _If only she wasn't so open about her crush on Wari-kun. _The brunette's eyes narrow the slightest millimeter as the thought of the curly hair boy, so nice and sweet and who had monopoly on Watanuki's every pleasant emotion. He shook his head. _Go back to the red face._ The thought of the seer red in the face from something far more erotic and enticing than anger almost had the boy blushing, since it was him who was causing that blush in his day dream. _She really needs to calm down. Yuko-san just asked me to walk her to school. What's the big deal?_ Doumeki followed behind his secret crush as she ranted and waved her arms in the air like noodles. Everything was normal until Watanuki stepped into the intersection of two streets and suddenly froze. Doumeki caught up to her easily, concern almost reaching his face as he saw sweat on her brow and her eyes wide in fear.

"Oi…Oi!" He touched the seer softly, trying to get her attention, but that only caused her to shiver, panic in her every quake. A shadow passed over the pair.

"It's him…shit." She whispered, her voice barely audible and trembling.

"Who?" But obviously the girl wasn't sharing anymore than that and Doumeki had to resort to using their shared eye to see what the hell was going on. He covered his left eye with his hand and looked where Watanuki was looking. There was a gray man in front of them, holding his umbrella over Watanuki and Doumeki, a hungry smile on his face. Instantly Doumeki's defenses were up, a feeling of dread settling over him and he tried to yank the girl away from the spirit. Only she wouldn't move. "Watanuki!" He kept pulling on her hand and then her entire arm but she was glued to the spot as the spirit reached out towards her. "Watanuki, wake up! We need to go!" His voice was desperate, a piece of him that rarely spoke, as he tried to move the girl. Then the gray man's fingers touched Watanuki's chest and the coldness radiated out, touching even Doumeki. And then the spirit wailed, drawing his hand back like he'd been bitten, the archer's presence pushing him away. He growled at Doumeki, black eyes boring into brown, and then smiled, holding out his hand. Inside it was a shimmering, silver shape, a bird that was flapping its wings, terror written all over its body.

_What is…?_

_Mine. _The gray lips mouthed, the sound of the word lost to the archer. And then his was gone, disappearing the taking the darkness with him. Watanuki collapsed with a gasp and Doumeki's hand shot out to catch her by the collar. She was unconscious, but still breathing, thankfully. He picked the girl up gently, his heart racing and for once he was glad she couldn't see him in this state because it would probably cause her to faint dead away again in shock. Doumeki knew that his eyes were wide his breath was heavy and he had an unexplainable fear painted all over his face. Definitely not the Doumeki that Watanuki was used to seeing. The archer cradled the seer to his chest, arms under her knees and shoulders and somehow managed to hold onto both of their school bags, the bentos and the girl. Her breaths were labored against his shirt, puffing out irregularly and harsh. Doumeki only knew of one person who could explain everything and help Watanuki. Yuko. He ran.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Watanuki was lying on a futon Yuko brought out, her breathing still heavy and she was covered in sweat. Doumeki was sitting next to her, putting on his best stone-faced worry look. Yuko was touching her employee's cheek and holding her hand, like she was trying to read her.

"You met the man at the crossroads, correct?" She asked, her red eyes hooded under her elaborately pinned up hair. Today she wore a red frilly tank top and skin tight, black leather pants with a matching necklace and bracelets.

"If that's the gray man with the umbrella…yes." Doumeki tried to keep his focus on Yuko but his eyes kept drifting to Watanuki, unconscious and helpless on the floor.

"She'd lost some very important things, so you'll need to be understanding when she wakes up." Yuko let go of her assistant and sat back on her heels.

"So, she'll wake up?" _That's a relief. _

"What you two encountered is a spirit that Watanuki has met before. Remember the night we told ghost stories at your temple?" Yuko asked smoothly, twirling her long bangs around her finger. Doumeki nodded. "It's the same spirit in the story she told us, the one that if she had met him four times, she wouldn't be alive today. Apparently she didn't heed my warning and walked without you."

"But I caught up to her."

"Yes, but she had already met the spirit multiple times and at the fourth crossroads, he tried to take her soul. The only thing that stood in his way was you, Doumeki."

"Me?"

"Yes, you were touching Watanuki, weren't you?" Yuko's eyes narrowed lasciviously .

"Yes, her arm." Doumeki pushed out Yuko's pervert with his monotone answer.

"Then the spirit only managed to take a part of her soul and escape. So…" The witch looked down at the sleeping girl, "She lives, but not for too long. Once a part of a person's soul has been taken, what's left cannot function forever. Watanuki is not only missing important pieces of her memory, but she won't last long at this rate. See? She'd already losing her color." Doumeki looked at the hand Yuko was pointing too; the nails and fingers were duller than the rest of her skin -gray and ethereal- like she was fading away. Panic clawed at Doumeki's chest, the boy's breath grew silently shallow. _She's going to die? Because I wasn't fast enough? Because I wasn't persistent that she walk with me? _The guilt of those thoughts crushed the brunette like a boulder, his inadequacy to protect the girl he loved almost too much to bear. "I say you have three days to retrieve the piece of missing soul. The spirit won't devour it right away because he is missing the rest," the woman's voice became ominous and creepy, "and why settle for one side dish when one can have a feast?" The implications were horrific.

"So he'll come for her?"

"Yes, but you need to find him before that happens. If he finds her first, you'll be too late."

"How do I do that?" Doumeki was desperate on the inside, the need to save Watanuki overwhelming, but he kept it off his face.

"Both of you will have to do it, it's her soul after all. But there is a price that must be paid for my help."

"There's always a price."

"Yes, balance is essential. I will help, but I need a day to prepare so you'll have to keep my Watanuki company until then, alright?" Yuko's mood instantly shifted from mysterious to flirtatious in a split second. "Just be gently with her, okay stud?" She winked and smiled mischeviously. Doumeki just stared at her, hiding his emotions inside at the lewd joke. "Oh, you're not fun! Watanuki would've been blushing and screaming by now!" Then Yuko got up and pulled open a dresser drawer and held up a white yukata embroidered with blue wings. "Now will you help me?"

"With what?" Doumeki was confused.

"Changing her, of course! You can't expect me to leave my Watanuki in spirit touched clothes on a futon with the day being this hot!" And then the boy internally blanched with just the mention of Watanuki out of her clothes. _I sweat, Yuko's just playing around with me. _

"You may be right on that account, but still, can you hold her up for me? Even in her sleep, Watanuki like's a fish." Doumeki gently picked up the black haired girl and set her against his chest so her head was cradled by his neck and her butt on his thighs. Yuko then proceeded to strip the girl out of her school uniform and Doumeki looked away with the slightly blush on his face. Maybe.

"Oh, you can look! I won't tell her!" Yuko giggled and threw Watanuki's skirt into the corner with the rest her clothes. Doumeki took the quickest glance known to man and saw creamy skin over slim hips and very cute lace underwear. That was all he allowed himself to see as the two of them juggled the unconscious body between them so the yukata's sash could be tied and the girl put back in bed. Yuko got up to leave, but Doumeki stayed where he was. "Are you going to sit by her side?" The boy nodded. The witch nodded back and left the room.

Doumeki looked down at the sleep girl again, his gaze shifting from her face to her graying hands. The gray man's face popped into his mind, the wicked smile, the fluttering, silver bird that had to be part of Watanuki's soul, the girl collapsing like she was dead seconds later. Doumeki's hand reached out and lingered over the girl's fingers, hesitating. Then he took her hand, like he should've done when she was at the temple's gates, when she was at the crossroads and squeezed it tightly.

"I'm sorry." He whispered brokenheartedly. "I'm going to fix this. I'm not going to lose you now." Watanuki sighed in her sleep, her breath calming as if Doumeki's presence soothed her. The boy smiled warmly and placed both of his hands and one of hers in his lap to wait for her to wake up. Watanuki's head tilted towards him and she slept on cutely.

"Now if only she'd do that when she was awake." Yuko sighed from the doorway. Done spying, she slipped into the shadows to make her preparations.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Watanuki woke up from her horrible dream and realized that her arm was asleep. She rolled her head to the side and looked at the cute boy holding her hand, but she didn't remember him. Well, not _exactly_ didn't remember him, but she couldn't place that sleeping face. _He's important to me, but why? And how did he fall asleep kneeling like that? _She gently pulled her numb arm towards her and shook out the pins and needles quietly before looking at the boy again. His hands were not limp in his lap and her head was tipped down to his chest, his brown hair falling in his eyes. _He's handsome. A strong face, but gently fingers and he's buff. _The girl shook her head, a feeling of annoyance welling up inside her along with attraction. _Why the hell am I thinking of him that way, that jerk? Why did I call him a jerk? He's obviously been waiting for me to wake up, and that's nice, but why does it make me mad? Can't I sleep by myself? _

Then her horrible dream reawakened in her mind. The darkness, the emptiness, the fluttering of her heart. She was alone in the black, a slippery voice taunting her with words she couldn't understand. The only thing that comforted her in that void was the brown and white hawk that sat on her head. The hawk kept pecking at her hair and her shoulder would've been a better place to sit – it was so annoying that way the hawk hung around her! – but its presence was greatly appreciated as the hawk screeched at any of the weird spirits that approached the pair. The situation was oddly familiar. But no matter how hard the hawk tried to protect her, it couldn't keep one spirit away, a gray man with a top hat and umbrella. He kept getting close to her and touched her shoulder, face, chest and then dancing away as the hawk snapped at him, trailing silver smoke behind him that twittered like birds. Just when she couldn't take his teasing and cruel smile anymore, she woke up.

Now Watanuki was left feeling alone without her hawk, but this boy gave off the same presence he did. And he was such a cute sleeper! Watanuki sat up slowly, both her hands feeling numb and ducked under the boy's head to see his face. It was so soft, but his eyebrows were pinched in frustration and she reached up to gently smooth the wrinkles away. He relaxed and the girl swapped places with him, softly and carefully laying the sleeping boy down on the futon and covering him over without waking him and sat by his side for a minute. She stroked the fabric of her yukata and tried to place the boy's name. He was important, she _knew_ that, she just didn't know why. She also didn't know where the hell she was as she looked around the Japanese style room. Moonlight filtered in through the sliding doors and Watanuki walked over and opened them. Stepping out onto the porch, she sat down and swung her legs back and forth under the stars, trying to remember why she was here, where _here_ was and what happened to her. She didn't know how long she'd been sitting there when there was a voice behind her.

"Watanuki." Doumeki had woken up on the futon, lying down and covered with the blanket. He looked up and seen his friend sitting on the porch, the moon lighting up her hair and white skin. She glowed, like some celestial maiden. He sat up as she turned and he saw that the blue in her eyes was duller, her skin grayer than before.

"Yes, that's my name. Will you tell me yours?" She said it so gently, but it broke a piece of Doumeki's heart so find out that she didn't remember him. "I know I know you, but I can't place you so, please: what is your name?" _At least she remembers something. _

"Doumeki. Shizuka Doumeki." He stated, standing up and walking over to her. She was looking up at him now, the height difference evident as he stood over her. Doumeki thought there was nothing in the world that sounded so good than to hear Watanuki say his first name. "You're face irritates me." And just like that, she shattered the nice mood. "But then again, it doesn't. I don't understand it."

"Thanks, I guess." Doumeki took a seat next to her.

"I'm Kimihiro Watanuki, but you already seem to know that." The girl looked at her companion, and tried not to stare. He seemed so stone-faced, but really she could read the emotions underneath the hard exterior. He was scared for some reason and irritated but he hid it well.

"Kimihiro Watanuki." He repeated, not looking at her. The bespeckled girl was glad, because she started blushing as he said her first name, his voice so smooth and perfect as he spoke. Doumeki noticed the blush and was secretly pleased.

"Can you tell me why I don't remember much?" _If there was anyone to ask, it should be him_, the girl thought.

"You were in an accident and part of your soul is missing. But we're going to get it back."

"My soul? Who's this 'we're?'" She asked.

"I'm a part of this too." A silky voice interrupted. Yuko stepped out from the shadows in a gorgeous butterfly kimono and her hair loose. Watanuki recoiled as if she'd been bitten.

"You! Why do I feel like you're going to do something horrible to me?!" She wailed and Doumeki hid his smile.

"You ungrateful girl! That's no way to speak to your employer!" Yuko shouted throwing a slipper at Watanuki and hitting her square in the face.

"Employer?" She asked, hiding behind Doumeki before anymore objects assaulted her. The boy did have to admit that her hands on his shoulders was a welcome surprise.

"Yes. I am Yuko Ichihara, the owner of the shop we're in."

"This is a shop? What do you sell?"

"Wishes. I grant anyone's desire if it's in my power to do so."

"Yeah, that sounds familiar." Watanuki replied, a light bulb turning on in her head.

"Good, you still retain some memories."

"So I've lost memories? Why?" Yuko sat down, puffing pipe smoke into the air as she held the pipe delicately in her hand. Watanuki peeked out from behind her shield to stare at the beautiful woman. _She's familiar too. But I feel like she's going to hand me something dead, throw a pile of work on me or try to molest me just for fun. _The girl shivered at the thought.

"You had a nasty run in with a spirit and he managed to steal part of your soul, including your memories. You're just luck Doumeki was there to save you, otherwise you'd be dead." The woman explained, taking a drag from her pipe. Watanuki looked up at Doumeki and he looked down at her. She blushed and looked away.

"Thank you." It slipped out before she could stop it, feeling like she usually kept that phrase locked away when it came to the boy. Doumeki on the other hand, was secretly pleased by her thanks.

"Good. Now that that's out of the way, we can begin planning." Yuko leaned forward, her kimono falling open and nearly revealing her breasts.

"Planning? Planning what?" Watanuki asked, sliding behind as she was sure the witch was going to make this as hard as possible.

"To get back your soul. Of course, it's going to cost you, Watanuki."

"There's always a price." She replied, fully expecting the woman to ask for compensation. "Balance in the world is necessary, right? Equivalent exchange and all that."

"I'm glad you remember that too." More smoke drifted into the night air. "Now…let's get started.

A/N: That's all for now! Hope you like! Don't forget to comment or else I'll have to have Yuko do something horrible to you in your sleep! =^.^=


	2. Dreaming

A/N: Heyo! Its ZareEraz again with an update! This is like brain vomit...once I started writing this I couldn't stop! Well, I hope y'all enjoy it! Don't forget to R&R because it makes me want to write more! (Seriously, I smile like the Cheshire Cat all day because I'm so happy and everyone around me wonders if I've gone crazy!)

Chapter Two: Dreaming

"I don't understand why we're the ones who have to find all this stuff!" Watanuki complained as she walked with Doumeki around the storehouse, searching for things Yuko sent them to get. "I mean, seriously? A set of crystals, a strand of silver bells, and a bowl shaped like a flower, and a red string. She wants all these things and thinks that we can find them in this mess?!" Watanuki gestured to the dusty warehouse. Things seemed to be organized in some way, but the girl couldn't figure it out and it looked like Yuko had sent a tornado through here at some point.

"Well, you do clean and organize it."

"But I don't remember doing it!" She flailed, barely missing knocking over a vase. "Oh, here's the bowl." She said two seconds later, picking up the lotus-like dish and handing it to Doumeki. Then she started searching again. The archer watched her carefully as she checked shelves, even noticing that she was wearing different clothes today. Watanuki was wearing a frilly blue top and a pair of black pants with high-heeled sneakers, her hair pulled back up into her usual pony tail. She looked really cute, not at all like the normal Watanuki. She noticed the boy watching her. "What are you staring at?" She asked, not irritated, just curious.

"Nothing." He answered calmly.

"Liar." But she didn't press him and went back to examining a chest on the floor. Watanuki glanced at the boy from the corner of her eyes. He was looking in a closet at the back of the storehouse. The seer couldn't remember if she'd ever seen Doumeki in regular clothes, but the maroon long sleeved shirt he was wearing showed off all his impressive back and arm muscles that would make any girl swoon. The jeans he was wearing also gave her a little peek at his butt. She liked what she saw. Then a tickle zinged up her spine, around her neck and down her chest before she could stop it. "Gah! Wa-wa-wa! Zhee!" She started dancing and squirming on the other end of the storehouse.

"What's wrong?" The archer asked, looking for the other items while watching her with his amusement hidden.

"It's this-this pipe fox Yuko told me to carry!" The seer squirmed around until she got a hold of the skinny pipe fox and pulled it out of her pants. "Stop that!" The spirit just kissed her instead. Then the seer noticed her hands. They were graying and it was almost like she could see through them.

"What's wrong?" Doumeki asked, twirling a staff in his hand. It looked girly, pink and the tip resembled a bird's head with white wings attached to it. The girl ignored the staff, shoving the urge to yell at him for being silly down her throat.

"My hands…they're getting worse." She held up her fingers and twisted them in the dim lighting of the storehouse. Doumeki took her hand gently in his fingers to study it, saying nothing. Watanuki blushed. His face was so close to her hand that if he leaned forward just a little more he'd be kissing her knuckles. Then abruptly, he let go of her- still silent- and went back to searching. Watanuki didn't know what to make of that, her heart fluttering in her chest nervously. She couldn't really read what was on the boy's face, but worry was definitely there. And something else.

Two hours later, the pair still hadn't found anything besides the bowl. Several times, Watanuki found herself blanking out suddenly, standing in the same position for a few minutes, unmoving. The first time it had scared Doumeki, but Watanuki guessed that it was just an effect of her missing soul, like her brain turned off for a minute to save power or something like that.

They'd searched every corner of the treasure storehouse and Watanuki looked at the mess they'd left behind and sighed. The feeling of impending doom crashed down on her, a premonition: she guessed that she was going to be the one having to reorganize the entire storehouse. The girl was tired just thinking about it. And then Maru and Moro ran into the building giggling and laughing, and started picking up objects – their version of "helping." Moro got a hold of a red bat with kanji written on it and Maru started twirling a golden staff that was taller than she was, the start burst and blue jeweled head almost knocking several boxes and vases off the already messy shelves.

"Stop that you two!" Watanuki shouted, running after them as the twins tossed fans, books, pictures and various objects into the air. Watanuki dashed around anxiously, catching the items before they crashed to the floor.

"Stop~ that! Stop~ that!" They sang, dancing around. Moro swung the bat like she was hitting a homerun, barely missing a stack of old books. The seer snatched the bat out of her hands and dumped it with the rest of the things they'd disturbed and steered both girls out of the storehouse. "We don't need your help right now! Go play somewhere else!" Watanuki, Maru and Moro crashed into something solid as they headed out the door.

"What's taking you so long in there, Watanuki? I asked you to gather those items hours ago!" Yuko was looking down at the girl with a disapproving stare, Mokona mimicking her on the witch's shoulder. Maru and Moro shrunk under her gaze and then dashed off to leave the girl to her fate. Yuko had finally dressed today in a skin tight tube top with embroidered jeans to match and pulled her extensive hair into a genie pony tail.

"We've gone through all of this mess and only found the bowl!" Watanuki explained, gesturing to the shed in irritation. Yuko started laughing. Watanuki whipped around to see what was going on an in all the commotion of Maru and Moro's entrance, Doumeki was somehow dressed in samurai armor and a feathered headdress. He looked like and American/Japanese Indian hybrid, a hybrid with two bottles of sake and a bathrobe draped over his shoulder. He looked ridiculous, but still had his same emotionless expression on his face. Watanuki started laughing despite herself.

"I was looking for that robe, Doumeki! And thanks!" Yuko exclaimed, sweeping in and taking the robe and the alcohol with her. Watanuki exploded at the sight.

"You're drinking already?! You're going to have a hangover tomorrow and I'm not dealing with that!" After she yelled, the seer paused for a second and cocked her head in thought. _I don't remember dealing with Yuko's hangovers. Is this one of those things I've forgotten? _

"I don't care about that." The witch waved her off briskly, which angered the girl even more. But before she could rant again, Yuko continued. "I didn't say everything was in the storehouse, did I?" Watanuki opened her mouth to speak, but then took a moment to think.

"No you didn't. So they're not in here?! Are you serious?!" She blanched, all the work they did in the storehouse for naught.

"Yes. I had a feeling that you wouldn't find them all in here. And now it looks like you've made a mess! You'll have to clean this up later, Watanuki!~" Yuko laughed maliciously. "Now go find the other items. I'll take this one." The woman snatched up the lotus bowl that Watanuki had placed by the door and waltzed off without another word. Mokona, on the other hand, had plenty to say from her shoulder.

"Bring us some cups and plums! Just the way I like them!" The Mokona commanded. That ticked Watanuki off even more.

"I don't take orders from you!" She screamed, but resolved to get the plums and cups anyway. Then the seer quieted down and flipped her head to look behind her. "And take that off!" She snapped at Doumeki. He just shrugged and took his sweet time getting de-costumed before following the huffing girl into the house to search for the other items. After a few minutes Watanuki was calm again, even pleasant as she chatted with Doumeki. He was surprised that she was talking to him like this, like they were close friends. She never did that before the gray spirit attacked her; she usually ignored or yelled at him. Watanuki kept talking cheerfully as they searched the shop.

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There had never been more random places to find things. A jar of crystals was hidden in the back of a kitchen cupboard, the bells were in the octagonal room hanging in the grandfather clock and finally Watanuki figured that she'd just pull some red thread out of a sewing kit she had because she was tired of looking. The only annoying aspect of that was that Maru and Moro had been through her things while they'd been searching and the kit had ended up in the storehouse. After scolding the girls and retrieving the string, Watanuki and Doumeki left the items with Yuko and left her alone. They'd searched the whole mansion by this point and Watanuki just wanted to sit down. She slumped to the floor of the room Yuko has designated hers and looked up at her companion. Doumeki looked as fresh as ever.

"Don't you ever get tired?" She asked, wiping a bit of sweat from her forehead.

"No. You just don't have any stamina."

"Jerk! I have plenty of stamina!" She retorted.

"Then why are you panting on the floor?" Doumeki folded his arms and glanced down at her.

"I am not panting!"

"Watanuki!~ Doumeki!~ Come here please!" Yuko's voice came from her receiving room and Watanuki dragged herself off the floor to go see what the witch wanted now. Yuko was lounging on her ornate couch, pipe in her hand and the four items the duo had found laid out before her. The two bottles of sake were also there, empty of course and Mokona was sleeping next to one, holding it in it's stubby arms.

"What?" Watanuki sighed, just waiting for another task to do.

"You're done for now. Go out and have some fun!~ Get dinner or something." Yuko clapped her hands together.

"Huh? Why?" The girl asked, confused at the request.

"Things won't be ready until tonight so you two have all afternoon to spend together! Isn't that fun?"

"Tonight? Do we have to wait that long? I thought getting the piece of my soul back was supposed to be done quickly!" Watanuki gestured wildly, her nervous energy getting the best of her.

"If you're worried about getting attacked again, don't be. You've both just completed a protective barrier by gather these items." Yuko's hand gestured to the four objects on the floor.

"Barrier?" Watanuki asked.

"Uho. It's the practice of walking down a set path to create a magic circle." Doumeki explained. "In this case, a protective circle. We've done this before."

"Well aren't you just a spring of knowledge." The seer huffed, trying to remember if she'd done Uho before. Nothing rang a bell. "Nope. I don't remember."

"Doumeki is right, Watanuki." Yuko puffed smoke into the air. "You've completed the first step in the journey to retrieve what is lost. Now let me do my job and go have some fun!" Yuko waved them out and Maru and Moro took the pair's hands and pulled them to the door. Shoved out of the shop, the seer and archer looked at each other. Watanuki looked confused, and Doumeki looked the same as ever. After a few moments of staring into each other's eyes, they shrugged and started walking to the street.

"What do you want to do?" Watanuki asked, her long legs keeping pace with the archer's.

"Food." A vein popped out in the girl's head.

"You're always thinking about food!"

"Well, I'm hungry."

"Oh, shut it. Let's get and early dinner then." Several times during the walk, Watanuki blacked out again, standing perfectly still and Doumeki had to wait for her to "turn on" again. It was strange seeing the girl so still, normally she'd been cooking or cleaning or wiggling around fawning over Wai Kunogi. Actually, it was downright disturbing to see her that still. Whenever she "woke up," Watanuki would apologize for holding them up but Doumeki just brushed it off, not wanting to make the girl worry about it. But secretly, he worried even more.

It was three in the afternoon by the time they reached the shop district and had a whole argument on what to eat. Doumeki kept on pointing at restaurants he wanted to eat at but Watanuki was picky, having prepared delicious food by herself for years. Finally, after two shouting matches and plugged ears later, they ended up at a burger joint sharing a meal at the window counter. Nobody else seemed to notice Watanuki's washed out appearance or that her hands were almost transparent and it was traveling up her arms. The interesting this was, the girl still retained the ability to pick things up, even if she could see through her hand.

"I have a feeling we've eaten here before." Watanuki said, swallowing a bite of burger before speaking.

"Yus." Doumeki replied with food in his mouth.

"Swallow before you talk, please. That's disgusting." Doumeki looked up in mild surprise. _She didn't yell at me. _

"What?" The seer snapped after seeing his face.

"Nothing." The boy shrugged it off. Watanuki put down her burger with a sigh and threaded her fingers together so she could rest her head on them, elbows balanced on the counter. She remembered bits and pieces of things she was supposed to know, but there was still a hazy fog over her memories. She tried seeing what she was missing but it was like looking through the steam of Yuko's extra hot, extra bubbly bath time; every time she tried to see something it moved away from her and then when black, like a Mokona to the face. _But I do remember being here, with him…sometime ago. _Watanuki looked out the window at the faceless people passing by and spotted a dark purple presence watching her from across the street. She hadn't noticed it until now, but she could see things that apparently other people couldn't. That presence for example. And it was scaring her. It was hovering above a shop awning, patiently watching the girl trough the window. She'd felt and seen presences like this before, the seer felt that deep in her bones, but this was the first time she could remember seeing anything remotely like this. A cold sweat broke out over her body and Watanuki shivered, untangling her fingers and clasping them in her lap. Instantly, Doumeki was paying attention to her, the stress washing out most of the color she had left. Watanuki couldn't see it, but with their shared eye, Doumeki saw her eyes dull even more and her skin got a shade grayer.

"What is it?" He asked, concern masked behind his voice.

"Nothing." Watnuki gave him a strained smile, trying to hide her unexplainable fear of the thing.

"Liar." That what the same thing the seer had said to him earlier in the day, only he wasn't letting it go like she did. "What is it? Tell me."

"I-I see…" She didn't know how to explain it without sounding crazy.

"Do you see a spirit?" Doumeki asked, clearly already knowing this about the girl. _Well that's a relief, I don't have to sound insane in front of someone I like. Wait…_her thoughts paused midstream. _I like Doumeki? Sure, he's nice but quiet and stoic and I've only known him for like a day…maybe…maybe I've known him longer. I can't remember! Damn it! _Watanuki was brought out of her mental conversation by Doumeki poking her cheek. The boy knew she was thinking but he still wanted and answer.

"What?" She growled, annoyed he'd poked her.

"Do you see a spirit?" He repeated, impatient with her dawdling.

"If that's what that purpley floating thing is, then yes." She pointed up through the window to where the spirit was waiting, hand trembling. Doumeki did something interesting then, putting his hand over his left eye and looked where she was pointing.

"Yep. That's a spirit." His hand came down.

"What was that?" The seer asked, pointing to his hand and face.

"I forgot. You don't remember." Doumeki's face hardened for a second, as if he'd been hurt and then it disappeared. _What was that? _Watanuki wondered briefly. "We share a right eye."

"What?" The girl was stunned. How could they share and eye? Didn't people get born with two eyes anyway? And she had both her eyes and Doumeki had both of his so how was it possible to share them?

"A spider's grudge caused my eye to close and you transferred the grudge to yourself. Then the spider ate your eye and I gave you half of mine." _I don't' remember any of that! _Watanuki instantly understood the look on the archer's face: he was hurt because she'd done something he'd felt responsible for and Watanuki knew that she felt the same way at the time. It was an instinctive response, she felt at fault for what happened to Doumeki and took the burned upon herself. That much she remembered. Watanuki looked down, shame coating her face.

"I'm sorry. Th-thank you." _Those words again. I don't say them very often, do I? _

"Its past. And now I can sometimes see what you see. Don't worry, that spirit won't approach us. We're protected." Doumeki went back to eating his burger, the weird atmosphere he'd created disappearing.

"Ah, the magic circle." The girl had a hard time believing they'd created a barrier but if Doumeki said it was going to be okay, then it would be. She knew that much. Watanuki went to grab her burger and found that it was missing. Her glare instantly zoomed in on Doumeki who was just popping the last bite in his mouth. "Hey! What gives you the right to eat other people's food?!"

"I was hungry." He said, muffled through _her _food.

"We've already covered that, but it's still rude!" Doumeki plugged his ears and Watanuki grabbed his shirt and started shaking him in irritation. She retaliated by eating all his fries, which he was not happy about. Through her food Watanuki replied to his disapproving face:

"Efreeting moost 'ave ballence." She held up her finger all scholarly-like. "No difuency nour exfess." Doumeki grabbed her drink and finished it before the girl could say two words. Then she punched his arm as hard as she could, surprising Doumeki and it actually showed up on his face. _She's never punched me before…usually she just wriggles around and yells. _Watanuki couldn't help herself, his face was just too funny! She giggled, and then started laughing, wiping tears out of her eyes. She didn't even know _why_ it was so funny, but it just felt right to laugh! Doumeki got over his shock and smiled softly, really like this Watanuki. She was more fun. When she caught her breath, Watanuki looked at their trays and then at her companion.

"Since everything's gone, shall we go?" She asked. Doumeki nodded and returned both their trays. They left the restaurant and started walking back to Yuko's shop. Watanuki felt shivers up her spine and looked behind her. The spirit wasn't close to them at all, probably because of the barrier, but it was still following them. Terror zinged through the girl's spine, something familiar and completely foreign at the same time and before she knew it, Watanuki had clutched Doumeki's hand in her own. The boy looked at her funny and the girl blushed deeply before embarrassingly dropping the hand like a dead animal and gluing her hand to her leg.

"S-sorry!" She apologized, not looking him in the eye. Doumeki could tell she was distressed and wanted to comfort her. He figured that the spirit was following them at a safe distance, unable to come closer because of the barrier they'd erected. His hand itched to hold hers again, but he didn't want to embarrass her or push her away with his half protection/ half affectionate move. _But she grabbed my hand first, so that's got to count for something, right? _The boy reached out and gently tugged the girl's hand away from her body and weaved his fingers through hers. Her hand was so warm and alive, nearly squeezing his in half.

"I repel spirits, if you remember. He won't come near you now no matter what. You're safe, Watanuki." His calm voice soothed the girl's frazzled nerves.

"Doumeki…"

"Come on. Let's get back to Yuko's before you cause any more trouble."

"This is not my fault!"

"I'm sure you'll find it is. The spirit is here because of you. You attract spirits."

"I know that already!"

"Then don't act stupid."

"I'm not stupid! You are!" Doumeki smiled internally at the seer's angry face. Getting her angry was the most effective way to distract her. She probably didn't notice the spirit at this point. Doumeki was right: Watanuki had completely forgot about the spirit stalking them, she was just focused on being pissed at him for insulting her…again. But she didn't let go of his hand, no matter how mad she was. His big warm hand was all she needed to feel safe.

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They reached Yuko's shop soon after and found Maru and Moro waiting for them at the door, hands clasped.

"The mistress is expecting you." Moro started.

"Yes, the mistress is waiting." Maru finished and led the teens into Yuko's receiving room. The dimensional witch was dressed in a purple kimono with pink cheery blossoms fluttering across the fabric and a huge yellow bow tied in the front of her stomach.

"Finally, you're back!" She complained, hands on hips.

"We weren't gone that long!" Watanuki shot back.

"Yes, but the sun is starting to set, the moon is coming out." Yuko paused, and then picked up two sets of clothing and threw them at the pair. "Watanuki, I need you to go get water from the well and bring it to the shop's gate-"

"Aw! Come on!" The seer complained.

"-but before that you two need to change." Watanuki held up her clothes. It was a navy kimono with moons and stars pattered across the cloth. It was pretty, but kimonos were more Yuko's thing. "Why do I have to wear this?"

"Because it's cute!~ I never get to see you in cute clothes, Watanuki!" Yuko crooned.

"Cute ~clothes! Cute ~clothes!" Maru and Moro sang, dancing around Watanuki.

"I hate you." The girl replied sullenly.

"Don't be like that~!" Yuko sang.

"What she'd give you to wear?" Watanuki asked Doumeki. He held up his usual archery practice outfit: white gi top with black hamaka with his tabi and zori.

"Why does he get to wear normal clothes?!" The seer wailed at the unfairness of it all. _Doumeki wears those every day so he's fine with them, but I have to wear this stuffy kimono? No fair! _

"Because he needs to be able to function in them." Yuko replied.

"You haven't even explained to us what we're doing!" The girl pointed out, gathering up her kimono again.

"You'll see when we get there!~" Yuko winked. _I hate it when she gets like this. _Watanuki and Doumeki went to change, the boy getting out much faster than the girl. Watanuki was having a hard time tying her obi and struggled to move properly in the kimono. _This is why I like yukata better! _She complained internally, squirming around trying the obi in the back. Finally, she just gave up and tied it in the front and hustled out from her room when Yuko shouted for her. Then she had to collect water from the well (complaining the whole time about kimono sleeves and how she was going to kill whoever had invented them) and when she reached the front gate with the bucket, Doumeki took it right out of her hands and placed the bowl and bells there instead. He had also gained his bow at some point, which confused the girl even more. Then they had to follow Yuko into the deepening night, winding the dark streets and back alleyways until Yuko stopped. They were standing in a deserted (and thankfully clean) street, right in the middle of the intersection.

"What are we doing here?" Watanuki asked.

"You ask too many questions." Yuko sighed.

"Sorry for being curious, but I'm in the dark, literally." Watanuki looked up into the night sky, trying to see if any spirits were nearby.

"You and Doumeki are going to dream-walk into the spirit's realm, looking for the man in gray and you can only find this particular spirit at intersections. They're the place of crossing paths, entwining people with other people. It's his perfect place to hunt."

"Dream-walk? What's that?" Watanuki asked.

"I keep on forgetting you forgot." Yuko took the bowl from the girl and laid it down on the ground as she kept talking. "Watanuki, you can enter dreams consciously, and cross into other's dreams."

"You've talked with my grandfather several times." Doumeki added, handing the bucket of water to Yuko when she gestured for it.

"I have?"

"Yeah, don't you remember?"

"Obviously not! Idiot!"

"You two get along so well!~" Yuko smiled mischievously.

"We do not!" Watanuki shouted with a blush.

"Too loud." Doumeki was covering his ears again. Yuko interrupted the girl before she could yell again.

"Tie these on." She handed Watanuki the set of silver bells.

"Why?" She asked, taking the bells.

"Shut up and do it. Bells bring good fortune and protection. You need all the help you can get."

"Was that an insult?" Watnuki growled while tying the bells to her obi.

"May~be!" Tetsuko shifted on her feet, the bells tinkling against the cloth.

"Why doesn't Doumeki have to wear one of these?" The seer pointed to her bells.

"Because he repels spirits, no need to go overboard for him. You on the other hand…are a disaster when it comes to things like this. Best to be prepared."

"Somehow, that should offend me, but I can't quite care that this moment." Yuko pored the water into the lotus dish and dropped the crystal. Purifying it, Watanuki guessed. Then Yuko took out the red string and beckoned the two teens closer. Then she grabbed each of their hands and quickly tied the string around one of their pinkies.

"There!~" The witch clapped her hands together. Watanuki looked at the red string around her pinky and then at Doumeki's.

"Seriousy? The red string of fate? Is this a bad joke?" Watanuki hid her embarrassment as being connected to Doumeki in this way, no matter how juvenile. The red string was fate was serious business for the girl, ever since someone she cared for brought it up in class one day. _Who was it? _

"Aw! I thought it was cute!" Yuko purred. "This string will keep you two connected as you travel to the spirit realm to get Watanuk's missing soul pieces back. Really I could've used any sort of string or rope, but this was more fun!" Yuko pushed the two towards the bowl. "O~kay! Since Doumeki can't dream-walk we have to do it this way. Tonight's the new moon, one of the nights where the line between the spirit realm and our world blurs. So Watanuki, you're going to have to drag Doumeki in after you when you step into the dream."

"How do I do that?" The seer didn't remember dream-walking so how could she possibly do it now with no instructions?

"The water will show you." Yuko pointed to the lotus dish in the center of the intersection. Watanuki took Doumeki's hand and yanked the archer –bow and all – towards the bowl. Yuko smiled at that, clapping her hands softly together in delight as her two charges got closer to each other. They were about to get even closer. Watanuki looked down into the crystal filled water and watched the ripples and sparkle for a sign of some sort. Finding nothing, she turned to her boss irritably.

"I've got nothing." She grumped.

"Both of you look into the water and Watanuki, you touch it." The witch instructed.

"Okay, but I don't know how that's going to help-" Watanuki leaned over and Doumeki leaned with her, staring into the bowl. The girl reached out her transparent fingertips and brushed the water. Cut off midsentence, a cold feeling of falling washed over the girl as she crashed into a glittering blueness that bled into utter black.

A/N: and that's all folks! See ya next time!


	3. Fantasy

A/N: Hey its me, ZareEraz! Sorry this is a day late but I didn't abandon anyone! Read and enjoy and don't forget to comment/review because I love hearing from you guys! Have fun!

Chapter Three: Fantasy

Watanuki felt like she was falling, back first, air rushing past her skin and whipping her long kimono sleeves past her hands. _Where am I? It's so black. _The girl reached up and touched her face and realized her eyes were closed. Shaking her head, the seer opened her eyes and found nothing but blackness. This was her reality. She was drifting in darkness, the same darkness she'd been trapped in before. Cold terror consumed her body, freezing all her thought processes. She hadn't felt this helpless in a very long time. Not since she was little, but she couldn't remember why…Watanuki wanted to scream, but her mouth felt wired shut, fear jolting up her spine. She could feel _things _around her, twisting and snaking their way toward her, pulled by the blood in her veins. She could feel the spirits closing in, staying just out of reach in the shadows, but close enough to torment the poor girl.

Then another presence reached out to her, and the seer's heart skipped a beat. What she was missing was here somewhere, she could feel the pull of her lost pieces-light and fluttering in the dark far below her- but yet another presence was here. A foreboding, evil presence. It was familiar, bleak…gray. Watanuki's heart almost stalled. _Not here…I don't want to be here again! _Unbidden tears sprang to her eyes, glittering as they were whipped away from her face by the wind. _I'm all alone again, and that good hawk isn't even here with me. _Watanuki wrapped her arms around herself and waited for the gray spirit to start harassing her again, his insistent, cold touches, those empty gray eyes and his vicious, ghostly smile. But first she had to stop falling. The girl was still in the air, and she couldn't see the ground, the darkness was so complete. That was probably the most frightening thing right at that moment. She was pretty sure the gray man was trying to kill her, but the fall might kill her first.

All of a sudden, a strong gust of wind spun the girl violently, batting her around on currents of air. Her mouth finally opened as she lost all sense of direction except _down. _Her scream was thrown back at her, the oppressive darkness smothering her cries. She twisted wildly, her kimono wrapping around her body, strangling her legs. She finally stopped whirling, her chest now facing the down as her tears now flew behind her in a constant stream. The air ripped at her eyes, her hair, her clothes and Watanuki felt so lost, so alone and an inner darkness clawed at her heart, eating her alive. _I should just give up. This is hopeless. I'm never going to get out of this darkness and I'm just going to keep falling forever until I splatter on the ground, if there is one. _Doubt and weakness crawled up her throat, panic squeezed her stomach and if she could've fallen limp, she would have. Watanuki's emotional tears had dried up until this point, but now she was crying again, so lost and alone. Another strong fist of wind socked her in the ribs and sent her reeling. Fear would've grabbed her again, only this time the seer noticed that a long red string was threading itself around her body, the end tied to her pinky. Her eyes widened in realization.

_That's the string Yuko made me find! What did she say it would do? _

_"__This string will keep you two connected as you travel to the spirit realm.." That's what she said! So the person on the other end of this string is…Doumeki! _

"Doumeki!" She yelled. His name echoed all around her, a constant, earsplitting roar, revealing just how desperate the girl was. She sounded scared, and normally she wouldn't dream of letting Doumeki know that, but she didn't care. All she wanted was Doumeki with her _right now_. She wanted to see his calm face and feel that reassurance that nothing bad was going to happen to her, because she was pretty sure he'd been doing that a long time, even if she didn't remember it. "Doumeki! Doumeki! DOUMEKI!" Watanuki twisted her hand to wrap to around the string and pulled on it hard. It immediately untangled itself, whirling the girl around until she was free of both the string and her clothes. Again and again she pulled, grasping her one lifeline to sanity with all the strength she could muster, waiting for the red string that stretched up into the darkness to give her some sign that he could feel her, find her and save her ass.

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Doumeki was facing a similar situation. He was falling, the powerful wind was tearing at his clothes and he didn't know where Watanuki was in the thick darkness. _Geez, I close my eyes for two seconds and she disappeared and probably in some kind of trouble that I'm going to have to save her from, but she won't want my help and get pissy about it afterwards. _But then Doumeki remember that this Watanuki didn't hate him so much, she even held his hand while they walked back to Yuko's place after dinner. So maybe she'd thank him for saving her this time. _That'd be nice. _The boy pictured the seer's smiling, blushing face as she thanked him and his heart beat faster at the thought. A gust of wind shoved against his shoulder and spun the boy, but he extended his arms and legs to steady himself after a few revolutions. _I hope she's not getting battered this much. If she is, she'd probably freaking out. _

The darkness crowding in around Doumeki didn't bother him much, he knew that his presence would repel the worst of the spirits if there were any; he was just worried about Watanuki attracting visitors of her own. The archer's fall was quiet, just like his nature. He didn't scream or yell or flail about, he just tried as best he could to find his charge somewhere in the darkness. It was hard to turn his head in the heavy winds, but he managed and unfortunately, the blackness was too thick and close to see anything. He couldn't even see the bow in his hand, let alone his hand. After an indeterminate time, Doumeki was still falling and he was really getting worried. _Where is Watanuki? Why can't I find her? _The archer's eyebrows knit together in frustration, the only outward sign he was distressed when he saw the red string. It was floating around his hand, the end of the string plunging into the darkness below him. _She's below me! _The realization came with a sharp tug from the string, yanking Doumeki down. In an instant, he was using the string as a lifeline and climbing down it hand over hand. The string seemed to glowing in the darkness, the only thing visible in the void, and as he dragged himself down, with each insistent tug Watanuki managed. Doumeki noticed that the string was much, much longer that it originally was. Ten feet of it was already whipping behind him, which concerned Doumeki because that meant that Watanuki was further away than he thought. _There's only one thing to do: I have to keep going. _

As Doumeki continued downward, he started hearing things. At first he thought it was just the wind, but then the rush of air began to form into sounds he recognized as syllables, and finally words. One word. His name.

"Doumeki! Doumeki! DOUMEKI!" She was nearly hysterical, that much was certain. Watanuki was or had been crying too, the slight hiccup in her scream gave it away. A lump formed in the archer's stomach. _I should've been here sooner. _As Doumeki neared Watanuki, he felt the malevolent spirits surrounding her start to back off in his presence. "Doumeki!"

"Watanuki!" He yelled back when her shouts close enough that he knew she'd hear him. "Watanuki, where are you?"

"Doumeki?! I'm down here, idiot!" She shot back, the barb of the insult lost to her clearly relieved voice. "Doumeki! Hurry up!" Hand over hand three more times down the string and Doumeki got slapped in the face with a kimono sleeve. But, he didn't say anything, just reached out for the hand that had the other end of his string tied to it and weaved his fingers into hers tightly. He was relieved that she was okay.

"Too loud." He shouted near her ear.

Watanuki felt Doumeki's hand in her own and instantly squeezed his warm fingers in a death grip. She was so relieved! The spirits around her were gone, she'd found Doumeki (okay, _he_ found _her_) and she wasn't alone any longer. She gripped his hand tighter, determined not to lose him again. Doumeki didn't say anything or protest her brute affection, he just squeezed her hand back in reassurance that he was there even though they couldn't see each other. Once or twice the couple was buffeted by the wind and crashed into each other, causing Watanuki to start cursing when Doumeki's head smacked hers or when she kicked his shins or when the bow whacked both of them.

"Sorry!" She yelled over the wind.

"It's fine." He yelled back, still managing to sound emotionless. Doumeki pulled himself closer, looping his arm through the bow, hovering over the seer and wrapping his free arm around her waist so they were chest to back. It really helped with the jostling but Watanuki was blushing beat red, thankful the darkness hid it. She was surprised at herself that she'd think the void was a good thing when all of a sudden the pair broke out of the blackness. The absence of darkness was more stunning than the swirling expanse of fog below them. The fog shifted and moved as if it had a mind of its own, revealing the ground beneath it and then swallowing it up seconds later. It had a sort of mystic beauty, the soft clouds of gray undulating in a seeming less random fashion.

The only problem was that the ground was a very real thing and the seer and archer were accelerating at 9.2 meters per second square right to it.

"Doumeki! We're gonna hit the ground! It's getting closer!" Watanuki yelled to her companion, nearly staring to panic.

"Yeah." He replied calmly, taking in their situation and the girl's red and tear streaked face. She still looked pretty, wild even, with her hair flowing out behind her in unusual disarray.

"Now is NOT the time to be cool!" She screamed back at him, though his mellowness was a blam to her at the moment, she'd never admit it. Eyes wide at the impending crash, Watanuki glanced from Doumeki to the quickly approaching ground. "It's getting closer!"

"You said that already."

"I'm emphasizing if you hadn't noticed!" Watanuki looked at him and then the ground, praying that the fog was some kind of massive pillow and that they'd just sink into it instead of breaking their skulls on the gray earth. Now Watanuki was just screaming to scream and they zoomed to their doom. Quick as lightening, Doumeki was holding Watanuki even tighter and flipped them so that he was on bottom, shielding Watanuki as best he could. Closer, closer, _closer_… Watanuki clung to Doumeki's arm across her chest and the one around her waist tightened, his body curling around her, her head in the crook of his neck. Complete and utter terror took over again, eyes wide, mouth screaming, Watanuki screamed for all she was worth. _I don't want to die here! Hold me Doumeki!_ Doumeki braced himself for impact, eyes screwed shut tightly. _If I die, at least I'm holding Watanuki. _They hit, a cloud of dust bursting up and around them.

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"Are we dead?" Watanuki croaked nearly soundlessly, shock coating her words. Doumeki was just as shocked and confused. They'd hit something, but it wasn't solid ground. Doumeki peeked down and found that they were floating about two feet above the gray ground, surrounded by a huge crater that had to be from their fall. He poked the girl in his arms in the stomach and she looked down as well. "What the hell?!" The second she spoke again, whatever had stopped them from dying like a smashed melon disappeared and they fell to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

"Uf!" Doumeki had the air shoved out of him when Watanuki landed on him and somehow her head missed his shoulder and cracked on the ground. Immediately he was sitting up, cradling the girl in his arms again as she rubbed her aching head.

"Ow. Shit." She winched at the goose egg and gently applied pressure to her skull before it could expand too much.

"You okay?" Doumeki asked, his own fingers checking her head. Watanuki nearly purred, his soft touch alluring, causing her heart to speed up again.

"Yeah, I think so. I've got a hard head."

"Yes, you do." Something about his tone ticked Watanuki off. He'd said it like he wasn't just agreeing with her, but making fun of her too.

"What'd you say?!" The girl snapped.

"Nothing. Just agreeing with you." Now finished with the seer's head, Doumeki helped push Watanuki to her feet and stood up himself. She was dusting off her pretty kimono, leaning over to pat her knees when he saw that the girl had a wing sprouting out of her back. Just one. "Watanuki." She looked up at him, still annoyed and he pointed at her back. She turned to look and the wing fluttered open, the white feathers shining in the gray of the fog. The girl's eyes widened and she promptly freaked out.

"What the HELL?!" She flailed around, trying to grab it, but the wing seemed to have a mind of its own and no matter what the seer did, it closed or dodged her hands and generally flailed around as well. "What's this thing doing on my back?! What kind of place is this?!"

"Watanuki." Doumeki tried to get her attention, but she was too busy being loud. He tried again. "Watanuki." Either that or she was ignoring him. She was tripping over her kimono now, the long fabric tangling her legs. The black haired girl was still shouting and running every which way as the wing flapped and sometimes lifted her off the ground. He tried one last time. "Watanuki." Nothing, and he wasn't about to raise his voice when they were five feet away from each other. Recalling that her brain damage dissolved some of their personal boundaries, Doumeki decided that it was okay to take things into his own hands. In short, he tackled Watanuki. He didn't tackle her hard, but they still hit the ground and she started yelling at him, and the wing squirmed around like a fish.

"Doumeki! What are you doing!?"

"Listen to me." Getting right in her face, the brunette stared her down until the girl stopped struggling against him. Watanuki started blushing again, and Doumeki thought it was cute. "You're fine. There's no evil presence from that wing, correct?"

"No…" Watanuki replied, looking at her new appendage.

"Then everything's good."

"Fine then." And neither of them moved, Doumeki just staring down at an uncomfortable Watanuki. "Uh…can you get off me?"

"Are you going to run around again?" He asked calmly, still holding her down.

"No." Doumeki got both of them on their feet again and started walking. He felt a sharp tug on his pinky. "Where are you going?" Watanuki had been pulled along by the red string that had connected them, now significantly shorter. There was only three feet of string between them.

"We're here to get your soul back, so that's what I'm doing." He started walking again, climbing up the walls of the crater and pulling the complaining girl with him.

"Do you even know where you're going?"

"No."

"Then why are you walking?!" It was annoying to Watanuki that Doumeki seemed so confident when they had no clue what to do.

"I told you already: I'm going to get your soul back." Doumeki didn't look behind him as they clambered out of the crater, but Watanuki could hear a sort of hurt in his voice, like he was blaming himself. She didn't remember exactly what happened when her soul was stolen, but it seemed to affect Doumeki deeply.

"Doumeki, what's wrong?" Watanuki caught up with the archer and walked by his side. He didn't answer, he just kept looking into the fog, his eyes unreadable. She stared at him, taking a page out of the boy's book and waited for him to answer her. Long minutes passed in silence, only broken by their footsteps and the lonely wind. Watanuki was getting tired of waiting. She sighed and poked her companion in the face. "Are you going to answer?" No answer. "Jerkass." Watanuki crossed her arms in a huff and pouted, yanking Doumeki's arm towards her through the red string.

"I was there, and I couldn't stop you or save you. We were supposed to walk together and you didn't want to, said that you didn't need a babysitter that you were fine on your own. You were mad at me and Yuko and you were put in danger because I couldn't get you to listen to me, to wait. My inability to understand any of you led to this." That was probably the most Watanuki had heard come out of his mouth at one time. It surprised her. Doumeki's head turned sharply, his eyes boring into the girl's. They were no longer unreadable, but full of emotion: inner turmoil, pain, adoration, love…Doumeki apparently felt a lot towards Watanuki. It took her breath away. The archer stopped suddenly and grabbed the seer's shoulders, his fingers digging into her skin tightly. "I'm going to fix this." His voice was hard and soft at the same time, completely solid and determined. He would do this for her, and he would do it alone if necessary, to keep her safe. Watanuki shook her head and smiled softly.

"You dummy." She sighed. Doumeki's eyebrows scrunched the slightest bit, confused. "We're going to fix this together, because it's my fault too." On impulse, Watanuki dove in and wrapped her arms around Doumeki's torso, gathering him into a hug and squeezing him tightly. His body stiffened in shock and then relaxed, his arms wrapping around her shoulders, a hand resting on her head to stroke her hair. "Thank you. I don't deserve someone like you by my side." Watanuki whispered into his chest, but she was sure he heard her. She didn't know if it was just her imagination, but it felt like a pair of lips had ghosted against her hair. They stood there for a little while, holding each other before Watanuki pulled away and smiled. "So let's get going!" She took Doumeki's hand started pulling him.

"Do you know where you're going?" He teased in his monotone and stone face.

"No but I-ahhh!" Watanuki was pulled sideways, dragging Doumeki with her as her wing lifted her into the air. "What's going on? Put me down!" She shouted as her wing floundered, unbalanced without its pair and hauled her to the right and forward, swinging her around so she faced Doumeki while she flew and he followed, never letting go of her hand. The wing couldn't support her whole body and dropped her after a few more seconds. Doumeki caught her in his arms before she could fall, but her wing kept tugging at the girl's back.

"What's it doing?"

"I don't know! But it's really annoyi-" She cut herself off, and felt like she'd been clubbed in the head with a baseball bat. Doumeki was calling her name, but it was fading away. She was sneaking down a street, the morning sun beating down on her back, Doumeki showing up behind her, there were moonlight birds in the bag she was carrying, a spider was eating her sky, a sprite was playing a flute in the middle of a lake, there was Doumeki at an archery contest, Wari with Tanpopo, the fall from the school building and flashes of many more memories. Even though she saw these things in her head, the memories were already slipping away without the anchor of a complete soul. Watanuki tried to keep her memories but they slipped away…all except one. The look on Doumeki's face when he realized that there was something seriously wrong with Watanuki as they stood in the street two days ago.

His eyes were so scared, his voice desperate as he shook and pulled at the girl's arm. She'd never seen him look so frightened- ever- even if she didn't remember all the times they'd been together. It was like his heart was breaking and he was falling into some deep dark place. But he hadn't looked that that when she'd woken up in Yuko's shop. He'd looked normal, so maybe he just bottled things up that he always did. She didn't know, but Watanuki knew one thing: she never wanted to see him look like that again.

Doumeki was kneeling on the ground, gently shaking Watanuki who was still in his arms. She'd passed out, but her one wing was still flapping and puling, definitely trying to get them to go somewhere. "Watanuki." She looked like she was sleeping, her eyes lids fluttering for a few minutes before she groggily woke up.

"Sorry, Doumeki. I must've fallen asleep or something like that." _A dream within a dream, huh? Only you could pull that off. _

"What happened?"

"I think…I think the missing part of my soul reached out to me. I saw flashes of my memory, only I can't remember them anymore." Watanuki cocked her head and sighed. "I hate this." Her wing gave an insistent tug and it pulled the seer out of the boy's arms and onto the ground. "Stop that!" She yelled, scrambling to her feet. The appendage yanked her again, boosting her into the air and dropped her back on the ground several times. "Doumeki help me!"

"I really can't do anything." He trotted behind her as they traveled through the gray fog.

"Useless! I just want to know why I have this thing anyway!" Doumeki looked at the spastic wing and the image of the tiny silver bird in the gray man's hands flashed through his mind.

"Maybe it's the manifestation of the pieces of your soul that you still have. The fact you only have one wing fits, the other wing the part of your soul that's missing."

"It makes sense but-stop that!-why does this thing- quit whacking me!- have a mind of its own?!" Watanuki's face got hit several times by flying feathers and the silver wing pulled her deeper into the fog back first.

"Because it knows where to go." Doumeki concluded, chuckling internally at the girl's struggles. It was entertaining to watch her deal with the wing, her flustered face adorable. "It's probably trying to reach its other half."

"Yeah, but the least it can do is be nice about it!"

"It's your soul. It's probably got your stubbornness, your annoying habit of not listening very well and it's even loud in flapping, just like your mouth."

"Why you-?!" Watanuki swung a fist out at Doumeki's face, but missed when he dodged.

"See? Stubborn."

"Shut up and get me down!" Watanuki was halfway floating/halfway falling in the air and Doumeki grabbed onto her reaching hand and pulled her down. "Thanks." She blew some of her messy hair out of her face. Doumeki reached up with his free hand and patted the rest down, noticing the slight blush on her cheeks when he did. The wing tugged again and the seer sighed. "Come on, it's not going to give up on annoying me that easily." Doumeki had to hold onto Watanuki's arm to keep her facing forward as they walked, the wing pulling them deeper into the gray, swirling fog where the gray man and their wish lay far within.

A/N: And that's all for now! Tune in next time for some more fun! Don't forget to comment! :3


	4. Nightmare

A/N: ZareEraz here! Sorry this is two days late but this chapter happens to be two thousand words longer and I had two tests to study for. Anyway, read and enjoy!

Chapter Four: Nightmare

"Okay, I'm getting really tired of this." Watanuki sighed. Her back was aching from the constant tugs and the balls of her feet were throbbing from getting dropped on the ground multiple times. "Why do dreams have to be so realistic? Aren't they supposed to be fantasy or something?" The girl was yanked into the air again and her wing fluttered her a few feet before dropping her hard on the ground again. Gray mist swirled away from her landing and Doumeki was there to catch her arm before she fell on her face.

"Yuko's talked about fulfilling dreams before, maybe this is like one of those."

"What are fulfilling dreams?" Watanuki asked, using Doumeki to stand up straight and roll her ankles out. _Ouch. _She grumbled and then Doumeki suddenly turned, his bow smacking her in the stomach. "Watch it!" She snapped. The archer was staring into the mist, like he'd heard something.

"I keep on forgetting you've forgotten." He stated, turning back around.

"No apology?! You jerk!" Watanuki took a swing at the brunette but he dodged before she even got close.

"Fulfilling dreams are dreams where elements of those visions become real."

"Quit ignoring me!" Watanuki raged at the archer, and he plugged his ears.

"You told me once that a dream you bought from me yielded an arrow in reality that you sold to the Dream Buyer."

"What? Buying dreams…selling…your arrow-what?! That sentence made no sense!" Watanuki was cut off when her one wing tugged her again and they pair was walking again, their thoughts scattered.

"Does walking backwards throw you off?" Doumeki asked, watching the girl sort of sideways walk-skip in her kimono as the wing pulled her along. It was odd to watch, and yet, seemingly normal for odd Watanuki.

"Yeah, it does because I have to look at your ugly mug the whole time." The seer sniffed, nearly tripping over her own feet while going backwards. Doumeki saw some of the old Watanuki coming back, the one that insulted him too much and didn't smile as often. _That's unfortunate. _The archer was already missing the Watanuki that put him on her futon while he slept or held his hand walking down the street to keep spirits away. She was sweeter when she was clueless. _If getting her soul back is going to turn her back into the annoying Watanuki, I almost don't want to do it _Doumeki immediately felt guilty for even thinking it and dismissed the thought. He didn't want anything to harm Watanuki again, and even if she turned back into her old self, she'd at least be alive and he'd have these nice moments to fall back on. And he'd still get lunch.

"My face isn't ugly, just ask the female population in our school." Doumeki finally replied after a moment.

"They're all just delusional."

"You're the delusional one if you keep denying you like being around me." Doumeki said it just to get under her nerves, he didn't expect that she'd turn red from head to toe and shut up. That meant that what he'd said had a grain of truth to it. "So…do you enjoy being with me?"

"Shut up."

"Just answer." This time she really did trip over her feet, her wing unintentionally catching her with a down beat. Doumeki grabbed her elbow and pulled the seer to her feet, but he didn't let go of her arm and instead pulled her even closer. He stared into those dichromatic eyes, his face a mask of seriousness, but inside, he really, really wanted to know if she actually enjoyed be with him.

"Let me go." She stated flatly, staring right back at him, trying to put up a wall in between them.

"Answer."

"No." Watanuki figured that that was the only word that would defy the man holding her arm, and yet still tell him what he wanted to know. That one word told Doumeki that _I don't want to answer because you're right but I don't want you to be right. _And he seemed to perfectly get the message, nodding in triumph and letting her go.

"Fine." They began walking along again. Or hopping in Watanuki's case. She was being pulled into the air more frequently now, constantly grabbing onto some part of Doumeki to keep herself at least a little anchored, grasping his shirtsleeve, his shoulder, hand, and just about everything else she could get a hold of. "It seems like we're getting closer." Doumeki observed while the seer had a hold of his hair. He didn't complain at the painful tugs, just kept his face neutral.

"How do you figure that?" Watanuki replied sarcastically, giving the archer an extra tug for no reason other than to annoy him.

"It's getting more frantic." He nodded to the single wing.

"I know that! I was being sarcastic, you dolt!" As she shouted and as the archer plugged his ears, the solitary wing gave a violent wrench that had the girl crying out in pain as it lifted her even higher and then sped along in the mist. Watanuki had let go of Doumeki's hair so she didn't pull it out, ever-conscious of trying to protect him in her own way. And then a strange feeling came over her, a familiarity that felt so natural that she zoned out. Watanuki had done something to anger Doumeki, he'd called her an asshole. He never called her an asshole! _What did I do? _Her eye. It had something to do with her eye. She'd given it up to protect him, it was her fault he'd lost his in the first place. The spider ate it whole, and Doumeki had offered half of his as a replacement. She'd hurt him, she knew that now, but she also saw the dedication and devotion that the archer showed to her daily. It was in the way he stood by her, kept her company, annoyed the crap out of her so she could have a friend. He truly cared for her. Heat blossomed in the girl's chest, her hidden affection beginning to morph into something else.

"Watanuki!" Doumeki trotted behind her, always within and arm's reach if she needed him. Watanuki looked like and angel above him, she'd be perfect if she had both wings. But her eyes were blank and she wasn't complaining about being dragged around. _That's odd. _And then she dropped out of the sky and Doumeki rushed to catch her. Arms under her knees and around her shoulders, she landed heavily in the boy's arms, but he caught her firmly and didn't drop her in the least. She still looked blank. "Watanuki?" Doumeki asked, the tiniest sliver of concern leaking into his voice.

"I'm sorry about the spider." She said quietly, her hands clenched into fists. Doumeki was surprised that she actually remembered something. And then he softened, her obvious distress about the subject apparent on her sad face. He bent down slightly and pressed a gentle kiss on her hair. Watanuki stiffened in his arms.

"It's okay. It's my job to protect you." Those simple words held so much meaning and emotion that Doumeki really had a hard time expressing, but Watanuki nodded, like she completely understood the meaning behind what he was saying. It was one of those things she'd picked up on being with him. Watanuki understood almost all of Doumeki's little ticks, the way his words were weighted with meaning, the smallest quirk of a lip meant he was happy, the slightest shift in his eyebrows could tell her if the archer was mad, sad or distressed. It was a process to learn but the small smile and soft eyes she was getting right now meant the world to her.

"Come on." The seer hopped out of Doumeki's arms and grabbed his hand. "Let's go." She ran forward, letting her spirit guide her, her wing finally behaving once she'd become determined to seek out her wish no matter what the cost. Doumeki was all too happy to keep following her into the mist.

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They walked for what seemed like hours, but there was no way to tell time in the fog, but they knew they'd found the place when Watanuki ran into it.

"Ow!" She rubbed her head as the opaque mist dispersed to reveal a grand house in Victorian style done up in shades of gray. She wasn't surprised to find a building randomly in the mist, as far as spirits go, this was pretty normal. What did surprise her was how solid the house felt in the dream. The seer was pretty sure she'd be bruised by bonking into the house.

"This must be the place." Doumeki stated, looking at the girl with interest. She glared at him but squeezed his hand hard, the contradicting actions adorable to the archer. They walked up to the ornate doors together and Watanuki reached out to turn the doorknob. As soon as her hand touched the cold metal she shivered, the presence of a powerful spirit permeating her senses. Of course, Doumeki didn't sense any of it. The air started to stink like rotten things she'd rather not think about and the seer pushed open the doors instead.

Walking inside, the pair found themselves in a grand hall decorated with macabre paintings of demons and humans all hung up in fancy frames. Stone columns stood around the perimeter, delicate tapestries hung elegantly over windows and the floor tiles were decorated with elaborate designs that all flowed into each other. It would've been a very beautiful hall, if only it wasn't all gray and creepy-like. The only splash of color in the entire foyer was a golden, glittering bird cage that hung suspended in the air without any cord or chain. Inside the tiny cage, a small silver bird flapped and called.

"That's it." Doumeki leaned in close to the girl to whisper in her ear, wary of ambushes from the spirit who'd stolen Watanuki's soul.

"My soul's a bird?" She questioned quietly. "Well, that explains the wing on my back." She shrugged.

"Welcome to my home, little snack." A slippery voice said, wrapping itself around the entire hall. Watanuki Jumped and squeezed Doumeki's hand. With one hand occupied, he couldn't draw his bow, but the archer figured that Watanuki needed his hand now more than he did. On the far end of the room by the cage, a tall man materialized out of nothing, his gray suit pristine accompanied by a top hat and umbrella. "I wasn't expecting you to come to me."

"Yeah, well, here we are." Watanuki put up a brave front, masking her unexplainable fear of this spirit. This was the demon that haunted her dream, the one that caressed her with cruel, cold hands and trapped her alone in darkness.

"Yes, I'm very disappointed that you brought a friend." The spirit quirked his eyebrow disdainfully and frowned. "A friend with a pure aura. Not very nice, truffle."

"Would you please not refer to me as food?" Watanuki snapped.

"I apologize, but you are food to me. I already had part of your delicious soul." The spirit smiled cruelly and reached up to stroke the golden cage. Watanuki could feel the freezing skin of his hand as the spirit touched the frightened bird inside the cage. The gray man then hit the cage with his umbrella, battering the bird and Watanuki fell to her knees as an incomprehensive panic gripped her body. Doumeki was instantly standing her up and pulling the girl into his arms. "And I enjoy the hunt to obtain the rest of it." The spirit hissed excitedly. Doumeki's arm tightened protectively.

"You won't get it." The archer stated coldly, the need to shield Watanuki taking over. His blood called for a fight, to steal back what was stolen.

"I'm not concerned with you, priest." The gray man dismissed the youth. "The only think I want to know about you is how you're here when only cream puff should be able to walk through dreams."

"I am not a cream puff!" Watanuki hissed as venomously as she could while trembling in her friend's arms. The spirit studied them for a moment, as if trying to uncover the answer, and then shrugged. "It doesn't matter, you pest, have to go." The umbrella came up and pointed straight at Doumeki's head. The spirit vanished, leaving the teens to franticly look around in shock, only to reappear close enough to punch Doumeki in the face and rip Watanuki out of his arms.

Doumeki was pissed now and charged the spirit to get the seer out of his hands. Watanuki wasn't having any of that either and kicked the spirit in the stomach. Attacked on both sides, the spirit focused on the exorcist, dropping the seer on the floor. The gray man brought up his umbrella to block Doumeki's tackle, using the tool as a shield. Doumeki slammed into the umbrella with his bow in one hand and his other hand snaked around to clamp down on one of the spirit's wrists. They grappled with each other a moment and after a short struggle, both umbrella and bow were thrown across the room. Unfortunately for Doumeki, the umbrella instantly flew back into the gray man's hands and he tipped his hat in mockery. Brandishing his umbrella like a sword, the spirit swung at Doumeki, pushing him back. Watanuki was on her feet again and jumped onto the back of the spirit, trying to distract him from Doumeki. It worked, much to the archer's horror and the gray man reached back with one hand and pulled her off, taking her by the throat. Watanuki's face started turning red from the lack of air and Doumeki unconsciously rushed forward. The sharp tip of the umbrella sliced across his chest and arm before the spirit knocked him over the head. Douemki fell onto the floor, bruising his body and a foot was stomped onto the side of his head. His hand shot out and grabbed a gray clad ankle and squeezed as hard as he could. The red string tied around his pinky shone bright in all the gray and its color captured the attention of the spirit.

"Ah, so this seems to be the means of keeping you here, outsider." The gray man held Watanuki up by the throat with one hand and crushed his foot into Doumeki's face. His bow was too far away and even if he had it, he wouldn't be able to fire. Watanuki was struggling for breath, her feet swinging helplessly in the air. Doumeki glanced up from the floor, his face protesting even the smallest movements, his bones straining under the pressure of the shoe-clad foot pressing down on him from forehead to chin. He saw Watanuki looking down, one hand clawing at the hand grasped around her throat, the other reaching towards him, trying to help him. The red string between them glowed in the dim lighting, shining into the gray mist. The spirit touched the string delicately, drawing his hand back with a hiss as it burned him. "Without this little string, you'd be pulled away from the dream walker faster than the west wind could push you. And that would be perfect, because you'd be out of the way and I could enjoy my meal in peace." The gray man snarled delight. Suddenly he threw Watanuki across the room, her body crashing into the floor painfully. She screamed in pain, clutching her ankle the second she stopped rolling, the red string lengthening with her distance, fluttering in the air fragilely. Doumeki's rage flared as Watanuki was hurt again, because he couldn't help her.

Suddenly the foot was off Doumeki's face and he leapt towards his bow in an instant. Grasping the wood in his hand he felt stronger; surer of himself and his first thoughts went to his girl. He started to dash towards her, the need to protect pounding though his veins, his blood, consuming his entire being like an unquenchable fire. His eyes were only for and she was staring at him with the most horrified expression in her face: mismatched eyes wide, her mouth open so far he could see the back of her throat even from so far away. There was a tug at his hand and hers and a flash of thought zinged through his head. Doumeki knew exactly what the spirit was going to do and it froze the blood in his veins, the fire he had only moments ago sputtering out. He turned too late. The gray man had the red string under his boot, the red sting trailing like a stream of blood. He twirled his umbrella, a devilishly evil smile on his face. Doumeki took one more step towards Watanuki, his hand reaching for hers. Her hand grasped for his, her slim fingers stretching as far as they could, her shuffling crawl only getting her so far. And then it happened.

The spirit brought the tip of his umbrella down on the string harshly; the boom and snap of the cord pierced the air. The thread was severed and Doumeki's only means of staying in the dream vanished, dissolving from his finger and the seer's. He jumped for Watanuki, just a few inches away when he was pulled. A great gust of wind tore at his clothes, pushing him back. Doumeki fought his hardest to reach Watanuki who was screaming for him, but the wind grabbed him and fast as lighting Doumeki was swept back, out of the hall and thrown into the mist, Watanuki's shouts and sobs trailing after him.

Outside the dream world, Yuko sat by the two sleeping children, drinking sake within the protective barrier she'd set up around them. No one could see, sense, hear or touch them. The small space at the crossroads was off limits to anyone outside the barrier. Night had past and morning was ebbing away into afternoon, but that would soon be gone as well. The witch looked down at her employee and the exorcist, worried about their well being in her own, silent way. She took another drink and prepared to wait some more. People watching wasn't bad, but it was sure getting boring. Then, when she was lest expecting it, a snap sounded. Her head turned, the woman's long hair had been divested of her complicated pins hours ago and swung with the motion of her neck. She looked down and saw the red string broken right down the middle, the frayed ends smoking. The physical bond was broken, but that only caused the witch a small amount of worry. She smiled. There was an even stronger bond that had formed while the two slept. Her smile turned even coyer as she watched Watanuki and Doumeki breathing, her cranberry eyes landing on their hands, fingers entwined so tightly in each other's that their knuckles were white. She had nothing to worry about and gently placed her free hand on both of theirs before taking another drink and cringing at a woman's detestable skirt, the people watching sure to entertain her for a little while longer.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

She was alone again. Lost in the darkness. Her only light in this misted dream was gone, spirited away by a demon. Watanuki's hand was still outstretched, still longing for Doumeki's hand but he was not there anymore. Only darkness, the one that falls in the mind when all hope was lost. Her arm fell limp, all the fight draining out of her body as she sat on the ground. Her eyes dulled as she looked at her captor smirking at her, hunger in his eyes. He stalked closer to her, twirling that damned umbrella in such a carefree manner. She almost didn't have the heart to resist him anymore. _This isn't like me. I don't let spirits toss me around. What is wrong with me? _Watanuki internally chastised herself, hating her sudden lack of backbone. _If Doumeki were here he'd tease me about being and idiot and doing nothing and then show me up to prove that he has balls. That ass! Just thinking about it ticks me off! _As quickly as it had come, the hopelessness evaporated and irritation flipped something inside the girl. A fire lit up in her eyes. She wasn't going down without a fight! _I guess that bastard is good for something, _she concluded, lying to herself that Doumeki didn't have any other use than to piss her off.

She'd never admit out loud that she relied on him, enjoyed being with him and possibly even liked him. Memoires of happy lunches and exciting (if scary) adventures had slowly been returning to her as she sat near her missing soul pieces and in most of those memories that archer had been there: annoying her, laughing at her, soothing her, saving her. Just like he'd always been. And she wasn't giving up on that. Not ever.

"Ah. I see you've got a spark in those interesting eyes of yours." The gray man purred, circling around the girl where she sat holding her ankle. "I thought I'd cowed you for a moment, but it seems you've got more spirit in you than I previously thought."

"I won't let you bully me. I don't let any spirits bully me if I can help it." Watanuki snapped back, teeth in a snarl.

"But you can't help it this time. You're weak and you're little archer friend isn't here anymore. It's just you and me and that delicious soul of yours. I lost you once truffle, but now I have you back after all these years." The gray man stopped right in front of the girl and put his fingers to her chin, lifting up her face too look at her. "Even if one piece is forever missing, I still get more than that bitchy spider." _He's referring to my eye, the one Doumeki gave me. _"But, the exorcist's power should be an added bonus, if it agrees with my stomach. The gray man's tongue flicked out, pointed and dripping with saliva. The seer heard the tinkle of bells at her waist that she'd forgotten. She decided that now was the time to use that protection Yuko's was talking about. The girl grabbed the bundle of bells and shoved them in the spirit's face, warding him off just enough that his grip on her face loosened as he hissed at the charm. Watanuki's head snapped out of his grip and she bit his fingers hard. The spirit growled and yanked his fingers out of her mouth before backhanding her across the face. Pain flared up hotly on her cheek but Watanuki had no time for that and tackled the spirit in the stomach as hard as she could before scrambling off him and running for the glittering cage that held the other half of her soul. "No you don't!"

"Ah!" The gray man caught her throbbing ankle with the handle of his umbrella and Watanuki crashed to the floor on her stomach. She twisted her foot around, heedless of the pain and freed herself. Only she was too late and the spirit was on her. Her wing finally started cooperating and smacked him in the face, but he gripped it hard, talons sprouting from his fingertips and piercing the delicate feathers. Watanuki screamed, blinding pain shooting through her whole body as the spirit gripped what was left of her soul. She struggled to free herself, squirming this way and that but couldn't break free of the spirit. The weight on her back disappeared momentarily and she was mercilessly flipped around. The weight of the spirit resettled on her, but he had transformed and now she was staring into the endless eyes of a crow. Gray feathers had sprouted from the gray man's arms, back and face, a beak now residing where his mouth used to be, full of serrated teeth ready to sink into her flesh. And they did, piercing her white skin where shoulder met neck.

Watanuki screamed in agony, the spirit's presence in her body sending unbearable pain deep into her bones and blood. The spirit howled in pleasure once he released her, blood pouring from his mouth. Watanuki was dizzy, her vision blurring, all sensory information getting lost somewhere between her nerves and brain. She did however, feel herself being lifted up, cold hands on her stomach and chest before the most searing torture blossomed in her back, and anguish washing over her entire body as her wing was ripped out of her muscles. Her scream was indescribable, the ear-splitting sound rising up like a huge wave and falling just as quickly. Watanuki's world went black as her empty body was thrown on the ground. She felt herself become small compared to her huge reach that she possessed only moments ago, white feathers drifting down around her. She felt like a tiny, beating heart surrounded by ice.

What she didn't know was that she'd turned into a small bird and was resting in the palm of the gray man holding her above her broken body. The spirit took his prize and grasped the squirming thing in his claws until it stopped struggling, nearly breaking its body in the process. The tiny soul fragment stilled and the spirit walked over to the floating cage and shoved it inside with the other bird. Both perked up instantly and began flitting around each other in an impromptu dance. The gray man smiled at his long sought treasures, running his claws down the sides of the cage possessively and began thinking of the best way to devour them, his feathers ruffling in anticipation. He'd almost made up his mind between swallowing them whole or biting their heads off first when a solitary footfall sounded behind him. The spirit whirled to see a most unexpected guest taking up space in his ballroom. The small birds he loomed over vaguely saw a figure through their hysteria and opened their beaks to scream.

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Doumeki was deposited on the ground roughly when the wind was finished with him, but to his surprise, he was still within the dream. He hadn't woken up, he wasn't lying next to Watanuki and Yuko he was still surrounded by so much god dammed gray! The brunette stood up and checked his bow for damage before rubbing his butt. His body ached from being dropped about ten feet, but he figured he should count his blessings that he was still here and all he had to do now was get back to Watanuki. Only he didn't know how. The house had disappeared and the swirling mists looked the same to him.

"Damn it!" He swore coldly, looking around for the direction he'd come from, but no luck. He was frustrated beyond belief, lost with no way back and Watanuki was going to be devoured by a spirit! _Well, we all figured that she was going to die like that because of her uncanny talent to attract spirits, but I don't want that happening on my watch! He'll have to get to her over my dead body! _But if only he knew the way back so he could give that spirit a piece of his mind. Doumeki paced in frustration, not knowing if he was headed in the right direction, but his inexhaustible energy demanded that he do _something_. Every second he wasted getting lost was one more second closer to Watanuki really dying this time and it drove the archer out of his mind! He was so consumed with rage that the next spirit who appeared in the mist got a face full of pure aura as he shot it immediately. But it wasn't the spirit he was really after. Doumeki wanted to scream with rage but he kept it in check, bottling up his feelings and saving his strength for the fight he was going to find if it killed him!

He started stalking in one direction when a piercing cry came from the mist. Doumeki grabbed his bowstring and pulled it back, aiming in the direction the sound came from, expecting an evil spirit. But what showed up instead was a handsome hawk with rich, brown feathers covering his top and white feathers underneath his belly. The bird swooped in and landed on Doumeki's relaxing shoulders before pecking him in the head. The brunette looked at the bird, surprised and yet not at its appearance. The bird nuzzled his head before grabbing onto his gi top and pulling him to the right, its wing beats smacking Doumeki lightly in the face.

"You want me to follow you?" He asked the creature and when it shrieked in response, he took that as a yes and walked in the direction that the hawk was pulling him. The more he walked, the more determined and calmer Doumeki became. He was getting somewhere now and every step took him closer to Watanuki, hopefully. But if this hawk worked like the seer's wing had, then he was heading in the right direction. A scream floated through the air, breaking the archer's train of thought and the hawk shrieked at him and flew faster. Doumeki's heart sped up, fear pooling in his gut. _That was Watanuki's voice, _he realized. Doumeki ran. The mist swirled around him, obscuring every sight except the brown hawk in front of him, but that's the only thing he was focused on besides getting to his friend as fast as possible. He sped up, breath heaving with the effort to go faster.

The bird led him straight back to the house like he thought it would and then landed on his shoulder to pick at its feathers. The brunette paused for only a moment to catch his breath and opened the door quietly. No need to announce his presence to a spirit that thought he was gone, and the surprise would work in his favor if the hawk kept quiet. It didn't make a peep. Doumeki snuck into the gray house and stayed close to the walls, hiding his presence. He peered into the ballroom, his head barley peaking out and what he saw turned his tan completion white. Watanuki was lying on the floor in a pool of blood, limp, her clothes torn up and her single wing was gone. Doumeki's heart stalled for an instant before his vision went red and his eyes narrowed murderously. He stepped into the open a single footfall sounded in the huge space. The spirit's head snapped sharply in his direction, transformed into some sort of bird. His beak dripped with saliva, his claws flexing in irritation and the intent to kill whoever was at his door. The silver birds scattered around each other in their cage, the two parts of Watanuki's soul finally together again in the most horrible way.

"SHIZUKA!" The two small birds screamed in Watanuki's voice, flitting around their cage in panic. The brown hawk shrieked and lifted off the archer's shoulder, zooming over to the spirit and hovered around his head, snapping and clawing at his top hat.

"Oi." The gray man snarled, snapping his head in Doumeki's direction again. The archer's bow was already drawn, the string vibrating with his spiritual energy. The spirit hissed, rearing up before shrinking back from Doumeki's presence, giving the archer the opening he needed. "Hands off my girl." He hissed, eyes alight with a venomous fire. He let go, the shaft of energy shooting straight and true. The gray man dodged, but he didn't need too, the arrow wasn't aiming for him. It flew right behind the monster and pierced the cage, shattering and dissolving it in and instant. The gray man screamed. The birds that were Watanuki burst out of their confinement and in a bolt of energy, flew to the girl's limp body, transforming in a burst of light and reattaching themselves as her wings. The white wings instantly wrapped around the seer, their feathers covering her completely over, like they were protecting her. And Doumeki took his cue, bringing his bow up and then gracefully stretching the bowstring back and lined up another shot with his index finger pointed toward his target, the energy of his aura appearing as a shaft of golden light. The archer's eyes narrowed , pouring all his hate of the spirit into this single shot and let go. The arrow zinged through the air and drove itself deep into the gray man's feathered body. He wailed in pain, thrashing around, trying to remove the arrow before it killed him but it was too late. The gray man was dissolving, the light of Doumeki's aura purifying and exorcizing is evil. The spirit gave one last scream before disappearing forever.

Doumeki sighed and dropped his bow to hold his bleeding arm. He was tired, but he stumbled over to Watanuki, the wings still wrapped around her body. He knelt by her and gently touched the bright feathers. The wings instantly parted to reveal a blank, bleeding girl. Doumeki felt tears spring to his eyes at seeing Watanuki so broken. She wasn't moving, her open eyes void of life. _Was I too late? _He asked himself the heartbreaking question, softly stroking the girl's expressionless face. It hurt the boy to see her like this, her shoulder torn open, limp on the ground, blood covering the floor, but her blank face was the worst of all. Watanuki was a girl of many expressions and looking at her face now was bittersweet. He slowly reached out with both arms and picked up the seer, cradling her against his chest and on his lap. He squeezed her tightly, grief welling up in his stomach, fear for her and disgust aimed at himself for not being there. Again. A single tear escaped his stone face, falling silently on Watanuki's pale cheek. He buried his head in the crook of her neck, her black hair shielding him, making sure she didn't see him cry. Doumeki choked down every sound, but his body still shook from the effort, suppressed grief wracking his entire being. _Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! Damn it! _He didn't know if it was directed at himself for coming late or at her for not playing it safe, for not waiting for him. Something touched his hair softly and Doumeki's head looked up slowly.

"Stop crying, Shizuka. It's creepy." Her voice was barely a whisper, her eyes dull and hands cold, but Watanuki was alive! And making fun of him, but he didn't care. Shock momentarily froze the archer and Watanuki took the opportunity to run her fingers through his hair and touch his face before she was crushed into another breathing-stealing hug. "Doumeki!" She croaked, "I can't breathe!"

"You are never allowed to do that again." He said it so softly that the girl almost missed it. "Don't ever scare me like that again." His voice was flat and thick, but Watanuki could hear every emotion behind it: fear, grief, relief, joy. She didn't realize just how well she read him until she had to learn to do it all over again. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck and head, resting the boy's head on her shoulder. His arms tightened even further around her waist and back and Watanuki really couldn't breathe now, but Doumeki loosened his hold a bit a few seconds later.

"You know I can't make a promise like that." Watanuki admitted. As much as she wanted not to hurt herself or Doumeki, she couldn't guarantee her own safety because honestly, she attracted a lot of trouble.

"Then at least let me be by you side." Doumeki's head came up and he looked her in the eyes, this tawny orbs staring into her own blue and gold ones. Watanuki's heart fluttered and she tried to calm if so all her blood didn't leak out onto the floor. This is what she'd been denying herself the whole time: Doumeki's attention, affections…even love. She'd kept that part of her that liked him locked safely away behind annoyance and lots of shouting, her stubbornness for not wanting anyone's help was hell to beat out of her, but maybe she could like him now. He seemed serious enough about it and she was tired of fighting her feelings. Watanuki leaned in and delicately pressed her lips to his, feeling their softness that contrasted with the boy's strength. Doumeki kissed her back slowly, reveling in the feel of her lips on his, her body in his arms, her warmth and life. It was too good to be true. Watanuki was kissing him! And she'd started it too!

When they broke for air, Watanuki made Doumeki a promise. "You can stay by my side as much as you want. I can't stop you, you do it anyway." She smiled and laughed which caused the corners on Doumeki's lips quirk up slightly in his biggest smile yet. "Now stop crying." The seer's soft, cold hands came up and wiped the single tear streak off his cheek and swiped the heel of her hand across his closed eyes to erase the unshed tears so she didn't have to see them anymore. Doumeki was the strong one, he wasn't supposed to cry. The archer scooped the girl into his arms. As her stood, Watanuki's wings dragged on the floor and then disappeared in a shimmering of light, no longer needed.

"I guess that's our cue to go." Watanuki concluded. Doumeki nodded, walking over to retrieve his bow and exited the gray house. Once outside, Doumeki leaned down to kiss Watanuki one more time and he could feel her smiled as she kissed him back. There was a rush of air that startled the boy's eyes open and he was lying on the ground in the street. It was the strangest feeling to be kissing someone one moment and then waking up next to them. Very surreal.

Watanuki shot straight, instantly regretting it when her back, shoulder and every other part of her body screamed in pain. That instantly wiped the embarrassed blush off her face and she gasped at the pain. Doumeki was immediately sitting up and catching her shoulder before she could fall back down, one of his hands still holding one of hers. His own aching arm wasn't even registering on his radar, his attention focused solely on his friend. Watanuki smiled at him gratefully, but they both turned at an amused chuckle. Yuko was sitting next to the pair, eight sake bottles littering the ground and in a state of messy half-undress.

"Sake? Really? And how did you even get those here?" Watanuki figured that they'd been in the street for at least a couple hours if not more depending on the time discrepancy within the dream, and if she knew Yuko well enough, there was a barrier in place somewhere around them.

"The how really doesn't matter, now does it?" Her eye brow came up seductively. "I really had to pace myself so you owe me a fantastic dinner, Watanuki." Yuko glanced down at the pair's still-clasped hands and smiled. "Have a nice dream?"

A/N: And there you go! There should be one more chapter unless I have too much to say and pop out two! Thanks for sticking with me and don't forget to comment! ( ^..^)ﾉ


	5. Waking Up

A/N: ZareEraz here! I'm almost done folks! I did decide to do another chapter after this one so don't get too disappointed that's this fic's coming to an end! I'm going to keep writing so keep in contact! Read and review because hearing from you makes my day!

Chapter Five: Waking up

"AN ENTIRE DAY?" Watanuki yelled from inside Yuko's bathroom. The witch was outside the door of the huge room drinking her weight in beer even after the six course and five bottles of sake she'd consumed just a half an hour before.

"Yep. You and Doumeki were out all day, so you'll have to make up your school work tomorrow. But now onto the important things," Watanuki heard the witch set down an empty can of beer, the clatter ringing on the wood floor. A snap and hiss came next, signaling another can's imminent death. "How are you feeling?" Watanuki winced as she continued to soap up her body, the aches and twinges of her fulfilled dream wracking her frail muscles. The soft massage of her hands on her sore muscles was painful, and yet, soothing. It was one of those things that she loved and hated at the same time.

"Like crap. I really took a beating, even if it was just a dream." Watanuki finished up and rinsed off before slipping her naked body into the steaming tub. She sighed audibly, the almost scorching heat seeping into her bones.

"Emotionally?" Yuko's question was ambiguous and devious, even if she said it innocently enough. _Is she asking about my emotions after getting my soul back or my feelings toward Doumeki? _Watanuki's face was already hot from the water but it went even hotter just thinking about the kisses they'd had. Doumeki didn't disclose any of that to Yuko, but the seer had a sinking suspicion that the witch knew more than she let on as well. Both emotional states were unstable and uncertain and Watanuki was not about to seek counseling from someone who loved to play with her, love to play with Doumeki and loved to play in general.

"Crap," was her answer because it was true, for any and all accounts. Watanuki just wanted to get this bath over fall asleep into a normal dream without any messing from her boss.

"I see. What do you remember?" The can came down again and another snap came through the door.

"You really need to stop drinking. You'll drown yourself."

"Just answer the question, Watanuki." Yuko sighed and a bubbling, slurping came from her direction.

"Everything." Watanuki flipped through her returned memories. Her mind had already made her watch everything once when she first got them back, but it was just a relief that she could remember all the days spent in Yuko's kitchen, or with Wari at lunch, or fighting spirits with Doumeki, or even just yesterday when they held hands walking to Yuko's from lunch. Some memories were better than others but it was nice to have them all back. All the ones with Ame-Warashi, Zashiki-Warashi and the Tengu were hectic, the ones with Kohane were endearing. The foxes were there too with the memory of delicious food and lots of friends. She had everything back and that was great, but now her new memories complicated things, especially where Doumeki was concerned.

Watanuki now had her independent stubbornness back she didn't know what to do with the attachment she had to Doumeki to protect her that she'd developed over the past few days. She didn't want to have to rely on him because she didn't want him in danger. She'd had difficult feelings for Doumeki: begrudging friendship, a tentative companionship and then partnership, and now a (maybe?) budding romance-thing. She felt like she didn't want to have to keep relying on Doumeki, but the heartbroken face she'd seen in the dream told her that he wanted her to rely on him, to trust him, and maybe to love him. His face also told her that he liked her for a while now, and he was happy she reciprocated and she didn't know how to handle that without hurting his feelings or making herself look like and ass.

"Good. My job's done but I haven't decided on a price. Doumeki's already paid his." There were sounds of Yuko getting up on the other side of the door.

"Really?" She asked, sinking into the water. Her fingers stoked the surface, causing ripples to crash into each other.

"Yes, he's more punctual that you are."

"I am punctual! You never told me the conditions beforehand so this is your fault!" Watanuk yelled, grumpy and wishing the witch would leave her alone to soak.

"Oh well!~ I'm going now! Don't take too long in there!~" Yuko's footsteps faded away, almost like she'd unconsciously granted the girl's wish for privacy. Watanuki shivered, hoping that Yuko hadn't predicted her thoughts in that creepy way of hers and now expected even more compensation. Once everything was quiet, Watanuki could finally relax. She sank up to her nose in the hot water and let her tight muscles uncoil in the heat. She hadn't taken a bath this relaxing in…she couldn't remember the last time she'd ever taken a bath this relaxing. Showers at school were a pain and she couldn't ever really unwind in a public bath, even if she was alone-it still felt like there were eyes on her. So baths in Yuko's tub were now quickly becoming one of Watanuki's guilty pleasures. She sighed in pleasure, kicking her feet in the water and knocking her head back on the edge of the tub. She felt her hair slip out of her claw-clip and heard it tumble to the floor as her black waves slapped against the bath's edge. Normally uptight, Watanuki didn't care for once and just let it hang free. The steam of the bathroom fogged up everything, kind of like in the dream. _That dream…_Watanuki's eyes slid shut, still so tired from the ordeal of taking back her soul. _Just a few minutes…I won't fall asleep…_she told herself - clearly a lie - and she relaxed completely, limp in the tub. She fell into another dream, one much more calm and serene.

The seer was outside Yuko's shop and thankfully she was dressed. Her yukata was gray and threaded with blue to look like Yuko had pasted her pipe smoke on it, but her hair still hung down to the middle of her shoulder blades, fluttering across her neck as the wind picked up.

"How's it?" A soft voice called to the girl. Watanuki flipped her head around to face Yuko's porch. Doumeki was sitting there in plain, blue kimono and a brown haroi thrown around his shoulders. The man was just taking a drag of his cigarette, blowing out the smoke in a fashion similar to Yuko's. He smiled, definitely not a Doumeki thing. Blank face was more his style. _Not Doumeki…Haruka. _Watanuki turned all the way around and smiled at her friend's grandfather.

"Okay, I guess." Watanuki replied, shrugging her shoulders. She walked over to the porch and used her hands to boost up her body so she could twist around and sit down next to the man. "How are you, Haruka-san?"

"As well as can be expected. I was worried about you." The brunette turned his dark eyes onto the girl, looking her up and down like he was assessing her condition. "Getting your soul snatched is nasty business, Watanuki."

"You didn't need to worry! Stuff like that happens to me all the time!" Watanuki laughed drily, shocked by how much her words rang true. Dangerous stuff was always happening to her and would probably continue that way until she died. Now that was depressing

"Of course I needed to worry." The man exhaled more smoke into the night air, the wisps fading away into the starlight. "I'm just glad Shizuka was there to help you. I'm also glad you've started relying on him. He needs you in his life, you know. I honestly don't know how he'd get along without you." The image of her and Doumeki kissing popped into the seer's head, but she squashed that down for now and went with a light hearted reply.

"He'd probably starve without me and my fabulous cooking! Seriously, that guy could eat a whole elephant and still not be satisfied! And on top of that he's bossy about what I cook, like I'm his personal chef or something! I don't know why I keep trying to please him, but it's all I'm good for and-"

"Don't degrade yourself like that." Haruka's voice was flat and hard, "I'm not talking about anything you just said. I'm talking about how he'd completely lose all meaning to his life if he lost you." Haruka turned deadly serious, the warm smiles evaporating. "You don't seem to get just how much Shizuka needs you."

"I-I-I do kn-know a l-little." Watanuki admitted, the blush on her face giving her away.

"I know my grandson and it's not just friendship he feels toward you." Haruka sighed and puffed more smoke into the air after taking another drag. "Your companionship and stability in his life give him and anchor. His parents aren't around often enough to comfort him so he turns to you and his other friends, but with both of you spending so much time together I'm not surprised that he's fallen in love with you."

"L-love?!" Watanuki blushed even redder. _I know he likes me, but-but-but love?! _Watanuki wriggled around, not knowing what to say to her friend.

"Yes, love. Just don't break his heart…or I'll have to haunt you forever." Watanuki was shocked at Haruka's response and stared at him wide- eyed. The man's face morphed from downright threatening to the biggest smile in less than a second. "Just kidding! But I will rip you a new one if you scar him!"

"Haruka-san, don't do that!" Watanuki yelled at him, flushed and relieved at the same time.

"I know you'd never try to hurt Shizuka, just look at all the trouble you've gotten into by trying to protect him when it's his mission to protect you!" Haruka started laughing, recounting all her past escapades and Watanuki pouted at the reminder of just how troublesome her life really was. The dreamwalker was still laughing at her.

"Stop it!" Watanuki batted his arm. "It's not funny!" She was always creeped out when Haruka laughed with Doumeki's face. It was strange to see the same face be so open with its emotions. And she wanted him to stop laughing at _her. _

"I'm sorry, but sometimes I think you're more trouble when you worth." The man wiped a tear away and took another smoke. The seer glared at him. Haruka smiled softly when he'd calmed down. "But I think the things that are the most trouble are the most precious to hold onto. I think my grandson understands that too."

"You think?" Watanuki looked away, still struggling to understand the feelings when it came to Doumeki. She wanted to tell Haruka about the last few days and how everything seemed upside down and right side up all at the same time, but she couldn't find the right words to express herself. And then he had to go and say it.

"You understand it too, don't you?" The seer's head came up to look into the same brassy eyes she looked into every day. The same face smiled and Watanuki felt her heart flutter as the grandfather's same kindness shown through the face the grandson had inherited. "That's why you stay with him, isn't it?" Watanuki's eye went wide as her confidant expertly poked at her heart and then started laughing at her _again. _

"What's so funny this time?!" She yelled, her default response to anything that looked like Doumeki kicked in.

"Oh, you'll see when you wake up!" Haruka crooned, his cigarette dropping to the ground and sputtering as the man held his stomach.

"What is so funny? Tell me!" Watanuki reached out to shake the bastard when she felt her eyes opening, the nightscape dissipating like fog in the sunlight.

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Doumeki walked past the bathroom and knocked on the door. He'd just finished paying Yuko and it was far past Watanuki's turn in the tub. Even though he looked fine on the outside, the archer just wanted to relax in a hot bath as much as the girl did.

"Watanuki." He called through the door. No answer. "Watanuki, time to get out." Nothing. "Watanuki." He called a little louder, trying to get attention. She usually responded when he call (she snapped when she was normal) but he wasn't hearing a peep from the bathroom. Doumeki started getting a little concerned. _Is she ignoring me? Or has something worse happened? _Just the thought of the girl drowning in the tub frightened the archer's already strung out nerves from their previous adventure and he immediately went for the door. He was surprised not to find it locked and slid the door opened as fast as possible and burst into the bathroom. The steam started rushing out into the colder air of the rest of the shop and Doumeki waved it out of his face to look for the seer. He spotted her: still in the tub, but limp, her eyes closed. Panic surged through the boy and his dashed over to his classmate's form and wrapped his arms around her, completely ignoring the fact that he was going to get soaked while still in his clothes. The archer pulled Watanuki out of the bath carefully and quickly, his hand going to her nose to check for breath. He sighed in relief when cool air ghosted against his skin. He ran his hand down her wet hair and across her bare shoulder. And then he realized a very naked Watanuki was sitting in his lap.

Doumeki's face went up in flames. He pulled the girl slightly away from him in panic, but held onto her nonetheless. He was so going to get slapped for this and he could already feel the heat of Watanuki's angry gaze and see the hellfire in her cobalt and brassy eyes. It sent and imaginary shiver down his spine just thinking about it. But he'd rather wake her up and face her embarrassed wrath now then have to get a smack down for it later. The brunette gently shook the naked girl to wake her up, trying to keep his eyes on her peaceful face. Her eyes didn't open but instead she shivered, the cool air from the shop paling her skin. Doumeki shuffled over to the door with her body still in his arms and slid the door shut before Mokona, Yuko or the twins saw them together like this. That would be and even worse disaster. But now Doumeki had trapped himself in the bathroom with Watanuki who wasn't waking up and slapping him. His curiousity suddenly got the better of him and the boy looked around just to make sure that no one was watching him before he took a peek.

Watanuki's body had always puzzled the boy: how could something so frail and stick-like out run demons and even bruise him when she punched his arm? It didn't make sense, but Doumeki usually summed it up to desperation in the first case and rage in the second, but now that he was holding Watanuki without the mask of clothes, he could really see the lean muscles resting under her skin of her arms. She might not be as corded as he was, but she still had a certain kind of strength. Moving on, the boy's eyes skimmed over her small breasts, lingering for a few moments before traveling down her flat stomach and slim waist. He'd had to hold onto that waist many times when saving her, but now it held more of a sensual lure that heated his gaze. His finger tentatively touched the pale skin, her warmth sending a shock heat through his fingertips, churning his blood. Doumeki knew that this was going to get out of hand if he continued and stopped himself.

He carefully propped the girl up against the wall so he could dry her with one of Yuko's huge, fluffy towels, only looking as much as he needed to and praying that his light blush would fade quickly in case she woke up. She didn't and when Doumeki finished wrapping a dry towel around her and stepped away, he realized just how cold he was. Pulling the seer out of the bathtub had drenched him and now that her body heat wasn't sitting on top of him, he was freezing. Doumeki quickly turned his back to his unconscious companion and in his own kind of embarrassment, stripped and started soaping off. The sooner he got out of here the better his chances were of surviving. Doumeki kept an eye on his classmate, once again praying that she wouldn't wake up. She was breathing softly, snuggling into the towel like a child, her face void of all the panic he'd seen on it just earlier today. Doumeki looked away to rinse off and wondered if Watanuki thought of the kiss they'd shared as much as he did.

"I wouldn't say I wasn't expecting it to happen, but I really didn't except it to happen." He whispered, remembering her soft lips against his, her fingers wiping away the first tears he'd shown anyone. She'd smiled at him, held him, kissed him and afterwards she'd avoided him. It hurt, it really did but Doumeki had some inkling of how she felt. Before the incident she'd been the same, always pushing him away or yelling at him for no reason and then she had to rely on him because she hadn't known who she was and he did. She'd opened up a little but now she was back in the same state of mind she had been before the incident and was probably very confused. But all Doumeki wanted was Watanuki to feel for him what he felt for her. He wanted to know that the strength he had, all the power and muscle he'd honed over hours of archery practice and discipline was for her protection. All for her. All for her, for a very long time.

Doumeki finished rising off and climbed into the bath. He wasn't going to have as much time as he'd like to relax, but a short time was better than no time at all. His arm was throbbing in pain where the gray man had sliced him and his body ached almost as much as Watanuki's did. He slid down until the water covered his mouth but not his nose and kept his gaze stayed sideways so he could monitor his guest. She had tipped over, her face cutely smushed against the floor and her towel had fallen open but one of the sides still covered her up. The archer watched in silence, willing her to stay asleep until he got out of the bath fifteen minutes-ish later to dry and dress himself in a sleeping yukata Yuko loaned him. He frisked the towel over Watanuki once more before embarrassingly slipping on her underwear and yukata and finding her glasses for her. Cradling her in his arms princess style, the boy opened the bathroom door sluggishly and took a step into the hall. His whole body felt heavy and tired and all he wanted to do now was sleep.

Carrying both of them down the hall to Watanuki's room was the longest, most difficult thing he'd done that day. Every step took all his strength and the boy was constantly on the edge of falling asleep where he stood. Only the thought of dropping the girl in his grasp kept him from falling over right there. Doumeki made it into the girl's bedroom, set her glasses on a dresser and kneeled clumsily to set her down before sluggishly crawling to the rolled up futon and pushing it open. He dragged the blanket over to the bed, threw the pillow down and pulled Watanuki under the covers. He looked at the other futon waiting for him, all rolled up and clean, and decided the he didn't give a shit about it. The archer pushed Watanuki to one side of the futon and climbed in the other. The blanket dropped over them both and Doumeki rolled onto his side towards the sleeping girl, all emotional and physical barriers between then were gone for the moment. He reached out and stroked her cheek, brushing some of her wild hair out of her face. She sighed in her sleep and snuggled into the pillow. Doumeki retracted his arm and kept a good space in between them so Watanuki couldn't accuse him of taking advantage of her. The brunette's eyes slid shut as sleep started to overtake his consciousness. Doumeki felt a weight lean against him and he cracked one of his eyes open to see what was up. Watanuki had moved in her sleep, scooting closer to burrow into his chest. Doumeki sighed at her cuteness and wrapped his arms around her protectively. A small, smug smile graced his lips as he kissed her forehead, triumph for being able to hold the girl without her blowing up at him a small victory he would take. Doumeki squeezed the girl he loved tightly before sleep engulfed him and his arms loosened.

Just outside the room, two pairs of eyes peeked through a crack in the door. A black gaze and a cranberry gaze watched the two teens nestle together for a night in each other's arm with smug satisfaction. Mokona and Yuko high fived quietly, giggling to themselves before tip toeing away.

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Watanuki felt a very heavy, very warm weight on top of her. She cracked her eyes open and stared at Doumeki's sleeping face. She froze; mesmerized by its smooth contours and by the fact that Doumeki's face really was gorgeous. His flawless skin, strong jaw and she knew just how deep his brassy eyes were, having stared into the on multiple occasions. _No wonder all the girls in school like him. _The thought flashed through her head before the seer realized just how close Doumeki had to be to her for her to see him this clearly without her glasses. In fact, she just noticed that she was lying on the same futon with him, under the same blanket with him, sharing the same pillow with him and wrapped in his arms! She was also in her room and the bathroom where she'd fallen asleep was nowhere in sight. _How did I…? How did he…? What…? _Then she noticed that she was wearing different clothes and her brain processed in a split second that she was sleeping in the same bed with Doumeki, he was supposed to have a bath after her and she was dressed in clothes that had to have been put on her by someone else. _I was in the bath alone…did he change me? Did he see me…naked? So that's what Haruka was laughing about! _Just the thought of Doumeki seeing her naked inflamed Watanuki's face and shocked her into action. She shoved herself out of Doumeki's arms and woke him up before she could scramble out of bed. His hands were around her wrists, caught between standing up and falling down again. He didn't look embarrassed about their situation at all, his face a piece of granite, his eyes shining like normal.

"Good morning." He said.

"G-g-go-ood m-mor-n-ning." She swallowed, a lump forming in her throat and butterflies in her stomach.

"And where do you think you're going?" Doumeki asked, his voice even.

"I-I was going to let you sleep. I thought it was odd we were sleeping in the same bed." _Odd? _Domeki didn't like the sound of that, but Watanuki didn't seem to angry about it, just unsure how to handle the situation.

"I was tired and you were already asleep." Doumeki yanked the girl back onto the futon so they were lying side by side. "You fell asleep in the bathtub. You're lucky to didn't drown." He tried to keep the sternness out of his voice, but some of it leaked through. _She really should be more careful about things like that._

"So…s-so y-you saw everything,r-right?" He nodded. The archer could see the girl's brain working, even this early in the morning. She was piecing together the fact that he had removed her from the tub, dried her, dressed her, and took his own bath with her in there. Her face when beet red and she dove under the blankets. "AH! Why did you do that? It's so embarrassing!"

"Watanuki, you were sleeping in the bathtub." The archer stressed his words as she dug for the squirming girl under the blanket. "You could've drowned if I hadn't come in. For the record, I did knock twice."

"I don't care! Stop meddling! Stop saving me!" Watanuki didn't want Doumeki to go away, but he kept getting involved in her mistakes and it kept getting him hurt. Just like the fulfilled dream they shared, just like their shared eye and every other hurt she'd pushed on him by being and idiot. She wanted him close, but she wanted him to stop putting himself in danger just for her sake! She'd have been fine in the bath if he'd just left her there! Why did he always have to meddle?

"Do you really want me to stop? Do you really want me to leave you alone?" Doumeki finally threw the blanket across the room and grabbed Watanuki's face so she'd look at him .Her mismatched eyes were wide with panic and something else. "Do really not want my help? Does it not mean anything?" He was asking these pointed questions because ever since they woke up from the shared dream, she'd been floundering, indecisive and she'd been avoiding him. She wouldn't even look at him the whole walk home from the street corner!

"Just because you saved me a couple of times…it doesn't mean anything!" She was blushing brightly, meaning that it _did _mean _something. _She ripped her face out of his hands and stood up but Doumeki grabbed her wrist again and stopped her. The brunette was kneeling now, halfway between stand up and sitting back down, holding onto a girl who just wanted to leave.

"It's not that." Doumeki began, "If anything were to happen to you…" Watanuki's heartbeat increased on its own, her midnight blue eyes glanced down at his serious face for a millisecond and then she went back to being embarrassed about thinking about the brunette in romantic ways.

_What's he going to say? That he likes me? I don't like him! Well…maybe I do…a little. A lot. I don't know! Spit it out already!_

"Where would I get my lunch?"

"YOU BASTARD! I AM NOT YOUR PERSONAL CHEF! THAT'S IT! I'M OUT OF HERE!" Watanuki flipped out, her embarrassment morphing into anger and Doumeki chuckled at her internally. Then, before she stomped away, he grabbed her wrist and yanked the startled girl into a hug. He held her like they were dancing, arm wrapped around her waist, the other holding her trembling hand and his head fitted into the crook of her neck.

"If I couldn't enjoy your cooking, my day would be so much darker. Or if you didn't yell at me for being an ass, or deny that you liked me. I stay by your side so I can protect you, but if you're not there to protect…I'd be lost." He whispered these things to the girl, hoping that she wouldn't yell at him for once and just maybe...return some of the feelings he had for her. It was silent for a few moments before Watanuki closed her hand around Doumeki's and sighed.

"You're a hopeless jerkass, Doumeki." She said, placing a soft kiss on his hair, hoping and not hoping that he'd felt it.

"You called me 'Shizuka' in our dream." He teased, holding her closer.

"Don't expect me to start that already!" She tensed, starting to push him away.

"I don't," he said, pulling them apart slightly so they could look at each other. Watanuki was cute blushing again and Doumeki gave her a little smile. "I just have something to look forward too. Just like lunch."

"OH SHUT UP!" Doumeki did, but he shut her up with a kiss too.


	6. Get Up and Go

A/N: ZareEraz here! Don't throw bricks at me, please! Sorry this update is sooooo late but I got sick and then I didn't want to write, like, _anything _and so this is like four weeks in the making. I hope you like it! And since something that I wrote in this chapter was so intriguing and fun for me as a writer, I'm doing a little side story so this isn't the last chapter! Hooray! Don't forget to R&R because it makes me happy and want to write and that means for fun for you guys! Ciao!

Chapter Six: Get up and Go

"Hey, Watanuki!" Wari called to the black haired girl as she walked out of class. She smiled and waved, running over to the curly haired boy.

"Wari~! How are you today~?" She called back before reaching her classmate. Watanuki brushed down her summer skirt and started talking with the boy. She loved spending time with the cute brunette, buoyed by his happy demeanor.

"I'm excellent! Sorry I couldn't make it to lunch today! Some of the guys in my class needed to have a meeting to schedule cleaning duties and that was the only time they could all make it.

"That's okay~! We'll have lunch together next time!" _That way I don't have to be alone with Doumeki! It's just a good thing his archery club had a meeting as well. A lonely lunch…_the girl swallowed her sigh. She really didn't understand just how much she relied on Wari and the bastard until she was all alone with three bentos. She still had two and a half of them in her bag, to uncomfortable to eat all of hers alone in the stairwell by the roof and instead stuffed the rest back in her carrying cloth.

"I'd really like that!" Wari gave the girl his warmest smile and the girl blushed and swished her hips in adoration.

"Great! And maybe it'll just be us and that jerk won't show up!" Watanuki smiled back. All of a sudden, Doumeki popped up next to her out of nowhere.

"What'd you say about me?" Doumeki gave Watanuki a look that told her that he wasn't appreciating her trying to ditch him, especially after what happened the last time she ditched him. He did all of this without breaking his stone face.

"Speak of the devil." Wari stated happily. Watanuki pouted, her cheeks puffed out and she glared at the archer. His hand came down to pat her on the head and the sarcastically teasing move ticked her off. She blushed and yelled at him for being creepy before turning to Wari again. It had been three weeks since the incident and Watanuki was still awkward around Doumeki in school. When they were alone it didn't matter, nobody (except maybe Yuko) was watching them and she could be more open. But after disliking Doumeki since before she could remember, the seer didn't know how to act at school where she'd openly complained to everyone how much she hated him. Yuko knew the circumstances in which she developed and showed her feelings to the boy, everyone else did not so it would just be weird to suddenly start acting like a couple with her supposed "rival."

Once Watanuki was done ranting and Doumeki was finished ignoring her, the three friends began their routine walk home. Wari and Watanuki chatted happily and Doumeki followed close behind them silently glaring daggers at his new rival for holding all of the raven's attention, but only when no one was looking. Watanuki was still hesitant about going public with their half-relationship, floundering over how to handle the situations and frankly, Doumeki was getting tired of it. They liked each other, so everyone should know it. That's the way he saw it, but the girl's brain kept getting in the way like it always did.

"Don't glare at me like that, jerk. It's your fault you missed lunch!" The raven had noticed him brooding, the slightest eyebrow scrunch giving him away. The archer's face dead panned, hiding all his emotions before she could read more into it. Watanuki saw that face and gave up. "If you're coming to Yuko's, you can eat your bento there." The boy had been accompanying her to work every day for the last three weeks, his paranoia and devotion virtually gluing him to her. His protection was appreciated, but a little annoying at times when he stalked her into her apartment. _I don't need him around all the time, _she thought, her hand holding her school bag coming up to brush at the pendant hidden beneath her shirt. _Yuko's got me covered. _That train of thought led the girl into the memory of the day after she and Doumeki had returned from the dream world.

_"__Watanuki, I want you to have this." Yuko was lounging on the floor in a long blue skirt and a frilly pink halter top. Watanuki stopped cleaning up dinner's empty dishes to pay attention to her boss. The witch was holding up an amulet on a silver chain. The pendent was a crescent moon, black with silver inlay that swirled around the stone. The girl set down her armful of plates and took the amulet in her hands. _

_"__Why?" She looked it over. It didn't look like anything special, except for the engravings in the back. It was probably some kind of spell. _

_"__Because it's a protection spell as a physical object. It should stop anymore soul stealing, shouldn't it? As long as you follow my advice when I give it." Yuko gave her a playful look and Watanuki started sweating under her gaze. "And speaking of advice…I decided on what your payment will be for helping you out with your little problem." She paused dramatically here. "You have too-"_

"Watanuki, is something wrong?" Wari's voice popped the girl out of her thoughts suddenly, the lingering shivers from her boss' request zinging up her spine.

"Uh-no! No! Everything's fine! I just spaced out for a minute!" The raven waved her hand to dispel Wari's concern.

"Your brain's full of cotton." Came the jab from behind her back.

"What'd you say, bastard!?" Watanuki swivled to glare daggers at Doumeki.

"Nothing that wasn't true," he teased, his voice somehow monotone and light at the same time.

"I've had just about enough of you and we've only been walking for a few minutes! You're insufferable!" Watanuki flipped out again, the tiniest provocation from Doumeki able to set her off almost instantly. She shoved the bentos into his arms and stormed off, even leaving Wari behind. It reminded Doumeki of that day three weeks ago, but he knew that the seer wasn't in any danger this time. That and he was going to run after her about three seconds.

"You've got your hands full with that one, Doumeki. I wish you all the luck I can give you, considering this is coming from me." Wari smiled brightly, his uncanny ability to act oblivious but know more that you thought he did showing itself again. Doumeki blinked at him, surprised and not surprised that the boy had already figured them out.

"I'll take what I can get." The archer replied before waving goodbye to his classmate and running after Watanuki. She was dashing as fast as she could, ducking around corners and leaping around other pedestrians. The seer heard footsteps behind her, faster and harder that a random person's. _That's got to be that jerkass. _She snarled and ran even faster. _Why do I let him get to me so easily?_ She dodged a business man who was talking on the phone, weaving around a mother and child as she mused to herself. _It wasn't even this bad a week ago, but now every little thing he says pokes at me. Am I more self conscious now, be-because we're to-together? Does him making fun of me in front of other people bother me so much? It didn't used to be this bad. Normally I'd just yell at him and be done with it, but do I really, really care what he says about me? Now that like each other? _She spotted Yuko's shop and nearly leapt in relief. Work would get all these tangled thoughts out of her head, mostly because Yuko would run her ragged with chores and dinner, and any customers that stopped by. She sprinted towards the gate, hooking her hand around the fence post and swinging into the courtyard. Up the steps and into the shop, she slammed and locked the doors behind her, leaning against them to catch her breath for a moment. Doumeki's footsteps caught up to her as he pulled on the shop doors, her body leaning back with them. Finding them locked, the seer heard the boy sighed in exasperation. Watanuki laughed harshly before sauntering to her room to get changed for work.

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Doumeki was stuck outside for ten minutes before Maru and Moro unlocked the door and let him. The twins danced around the archer as he walked around the house looking for Watanuki. She'd already calmed down and put on her catering-to-Yuko's-every-need persona, occasionally blowing up at something the witch said. Doumeki ended up eating two bentos while he sat around drinking a small amount of sake with Mokona and Yuko (who drank a considerable amount) and then helped the pair eat all off Watanuki's delicious dinner when nighttime rolled around. Yuko didn't have any customers today.

"That's a relief! I really didn't feel like working today. Watching Watanuki dance around you was tiring enough!" Yuko winked at the archer once the girl was out of the room. Watanuki was beginning to clear up dishes after dinner, only there were so many plates that she complained to high heaven about cooking all the food and then having to clean up afterwards, lamenting Yuko's lazy ass. Maru and Moro had followed her into the kitchen, and lots of banging and yelling and laughter could be heard from down the hall. "She likes you and she likes your relationship with her, but she's uncomfortable about it around others, am I right?" Yuko gave the archer a knowing look over her sake bottle before tipping it into her mouth.

"Mmhmm." He replied, holding his small cup of sake. Watanuki wouldn't let him have more than three cups so he was holding out on his last one. "It's annoying."

"I'll say it is! Yuko laughed, finishing off her sixth bottle. "Mokona and I have the sneak around undetected just to see you two hold hands in the shop!"

"I knew you were there." Doumeki said, having spotted the witch spying on them several times in the past weeks.

"Naughty boy! And you didn't let her know?"

"No. She'd get even more embarrassed. I have to fight tooth and nail to hold her hand. I just don't get it." Doumeki rested his head on his hand and swirled what was left of his alcohol in the cup.

"Women are confusing, I know, but the way I see it, you're just going to have to give her no choice but to get over this awkward stage. Kissing her at school, for example, would be ideal. That way, everyone knows. Once the cat's out of the bag, she'll get over herself." Yuko patted a burping Mokona on the head.

"You think?"

"Yes, and then we can start spying on things hotter than hand holding!" Yuko cheered.

"Yeah!" Mokona joined in, dancing around the table. Doumeki's possessive side kicked in, wanting to protect the budding relationship he had with Watanuki as much as possible. That, and he didn't share well with others when it came to the seer.

"I'll lock you out." He stated flatly, his tone hard and the threat barely veiled.

"Ooooo!~ We've been had, Mokona!" Yuko scooped up the fluffy creature and sauntered out of the room, her kimono robes trailing behind her. "Tell Watanuki to finish cleaning up and then she can go. I'm taking a bath."

"The bath!~ The bath for the mistress!~" Maru and Moro came dancing in, finished with messing with Watanuki in the kitchen. They pranced down the hallway, leading their mistress to the bathroom. Doumeki slipped at his sake, waiting for Watanuki to come back in the peaceful silence of the room Yuko designated as "dining room" even though she ate in practically every room. The raven came in a short time later (minus her smock – "It's too dirty! I can't stand it anymore! And Yuko used my other one to finger paint the walls that I had to clean afterwards! Damn that woman!") to grab more dishes, and gasped in delight when she saw that Yuko was gone.

"Fantastic! No more sake and I can do my job in peace!" She smiled happily. Doumeki loved that smile.

"When you're done cleaning up she said you could go." The archer informed, downing the last of his cup and setting it down on top of the dishes Watanuki was piling up.

"Even better!" She hummed, cheerfully, even ignoring the extra dish. A glint around Watanuki's neck caught the boy's attention as she leaned over to pick up her next batch of washing. "Help me out here, Doumeki. Don't be a lazy bastard like that Yuko." Watanuki kicked the archer's leg lightly as she stood up with an armful of dishes.

"I heard that, Watanuki!" Yuko's voice floated down from the bathroom. Watanuki visibly shivered.

"Damn that Yuko." She hissed, stomping to the kitchen. Doumeki stood and gathered up the last of the dishes chivalrously so that Watanuki didn't have to make the last trip. He followed her down the hall and joined her in the kitchen, which was full of things to wash. There were dishes and cooking implements everywhere. Watanuki was a cook who cleaned as she went, but tonight's dinner obviously reused certain pots or spoons or whatnot because it looked like the cabinets had thrown up everywhere. "Thanks, Doumeki. Just set them on the counter." Doumeki looked at the counter skeptically.

"It's full."

"Then just stack it carefully on top of what's on the counter." Watanuki sighed and began washing a frying pan. Doumeki set down his dishes carefully, sneaking a peek at the glinty thing that had slipped out of the girl's shirt.

"That's pretty." Doumeki pointed to the moon pendant that was bouncing against Watanuki's chest as she scrubbed. It was the same talisman that he'd paid Yuko with for her help three weeks ago. _I guess Yuko gave it to Watanuki._

"I hope you're talking about the necklace and not my breasts." She hissed, holding up the frying pan threateningly.

"The necklace…and the breasts." Doumeki grabbed the hand holding the frying pan to protect his head as Watanuki leapt at him.

"You pervert!" She yelled.

"Calm down." He threw the girl off him, snagging the frying pan out of her hands. "I said both were pretty. That should satisfy you."

"You're impossible!" She snapped. "I got this amulet from Yuko-san, but I have to make you lunch for a month." Watanuki was blushing bright red for some reason now, folding her arms in a huff, tapping the frying pan against her side. Doumeki was interested in her reaction now. Yuko's payment was actually pretty normal, if low key, so he wanted to know what was up.

"But you already make me lunch every day." Doumeki stated, discretely trying to get the girl to finish.

"Well…I h-have…to do it…" She stammered, setting the pan down and twisting the cloth of her shirt in her hands. She glanced up at the boy and he gave her a look that said spit-it-out without looking much different from his regular face. "I have to make it HALF NAKED!" She spat out, blushing an even deeper red and it covered her whole body. She really hated that Yuko had brought up that conversation that seemed to happen forever ago. If the witch and just forgotten it the seer wouldn't be in this mess, but of course, Yuko's perverted mind had secreted that information away to used against her. Doumeki was surprised and then not surprised that Yuko would make her do something like that. It almost made him blush. Almost. He held it in. And then he gave the seer a small smile and took her hand gently, startling a gasp out of her. She looked up through her messy black hair with the cutest expression of embarrassment. She was still confused, he knew that, but he wasn't giving up the hand holding no matter what.

"Can I watch you make food half naked?" His free hand immediately came up to plug one ear as he leaned away from Watanuki.

"PERVERT!" Doumeki swooped in for a kiss to quite that loud mouth and Watanuki shut up against his lips. _Still the best way to get her big mouth to shut up, _he mused, pulling her closer.

"Can't I think nice thoughts like that when it concerns my girlfriend?" He whispered against her cheek when they broke apart.

"G-girlfriend?!" Watanuki stuttered.

"Yeah." Doumeki gave her a look that said you're-an-idiot. "What did you think you'd become when you said you loved me? Besides, I think an official label going to help you accept that you can't keep trying to hide our relationship. I'm getting sick of it."

"I'm not trying to hide it! I'm trying to be discreet!"

"No, you're shoving it under a rock. It shouldn't matter who sees us, we're going out for heaven's sake."

"I just don't want to be the one everyone talks about again!" Watanuki broke out of Doumeki's grip. "I was bad enough when everyone thought I was the crazy girl who jabbered on about spirits, and being your girlfriend right this instant would not only be the talk of the school, but I'd have to fight off your pissed off fangirls!"

"I'll handle the fangirls if you let me kiss you at school." Doumeki bargained as Watanuki started scrubbing dishes with a vengeance.

"Let me think about that."

"Okay, just don't take all year."

"Bastard." Doumeki silently started helping Watanuki clean up, drying and putting things away under the raven's direction.

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Once the kitchen obtained a rather obscene sparkle, the teens packed up and left. Yuko called out a goodbye to them from the bathroom, a chorus of Mokona, Maru and Moro followed her.

"Be sure to come as quickly as possible to work tomorrow!" Yuko called after her.

"Why should I?" Watanuki grumbled back.

"Because I want an early dinner before my customers show up!" The witch sang back.

"Slave driver!" Yuko laughed with the twins and Mokona smiled before shoving the cookies he'd stolen from Watanuki's backpack into his gullet.

"Hey! Those are mine! I was looking for them!" Doumeki had to grab the girl's collar before she assaulted the Mokona.

"Not anymore!~" The pork bun chortled. "Better luck next time!"

"I'll get you for this!"

"Let's go, Watanuki." Doumeki waved at the witch with the hand that held his school bag and the bento boxes before dragging the raven down the sidewalk, who was still yelling obscenities at the rabbit-eared creature. She stopped yelling after the shop was out of earshot and just let Doumeki haul her home, heels scraping against the ground. That is, until one of her shoes flew off from the force of his pulling and she had to scramble back to get it, dragging Doumeki back with her.

"Let go of my collar, dork!" She bent over to retie her shoe, feeling the archer's hard grip release her. She slipped her shoe back on and as she was tying it, looked under her arm to see Doumeki looking at something. The archer was looking at her butt. Watanuki blushed bright red when she realized that her skirt had crept up her backside and the hem was resting just below her cheeks. "Quit staring at my butt!" Fast as lightning, she was standing up straight and pulling her skirt down, half-glaring at the boy but still too embarrassed to pull it off effectively. Doumeki just stared back at her, the corners of his mouth twitching up slightly. The girl's face scrunched together in anger and she stomped away, hands still on her butt. She got two steps before she stepped on the loose shoelace she didn't finish tying and tripped. Doumeki was there in an instant, wrapping one of his arms around her waist.

"Klutz. Are you okay?" The brunette pulled the girl into a standing position and set her on her feet.

"I'm fine." She brushed off her skirt, a blush still evident on her cheeks and kneeled down to finish tying her shoe. Doumeki almost asked her to let her skirt ride up again, only he wanted to keep his head attached to his body. Watanuki stood up again and swiped her school bag from the archer's hands before walking to her apartment at a brisk pace. "Let's go." He grunted and walked after her, taking hold of her hand. She glanced down, one eyebrow cocked in irritation and then gave him a small smile before leaning her head on his shoulder for a moment. Doumeki tipped his head down on top of hers, but walking that way became to awkward and they straightened up, standing a little closer to each other. When they passed Doumeki's temple, Watanuki was surprised and then not surprised that he didn't leave her there and go inside, instead he just kept walking, his face a mask.

"We passed your house." She pointed out, jerking a thumb back like a hitchhiker.

"I know." He replied. She sighed.

"You're walking me home again, aren't you?" He nodded curtly. She gave him look that said, "Really?" He nodded again.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again: I don't need a babysitter." She sighed again.

"What's wrong with a boy walking his girlfriend home?"

"You're ulterior motive is to make sure I don't get into trouble."

"That too." They shared a silence that wasn't awkward, but it wasn't companionable either. Watanuki looked at Doumeki. He was a stone wall when it came to stuff like this. The guy could be so stubborn!

"Fine. But this is the last time." She huffed, turning her head away from the boy. "I don't need you wearing out your shoes because of me, got it? Because then you'd want compensation in the form of food!"

"No argument there."

"Bastard."

"Whatever you say, Kimihiro." Watanuki nearly tripped over her own feet again at the sound of her first name. She was blushing again and avoiding looking at Doumeki altogether, and she knew that he was watching to see her reaction. Nothing else happened as they continued walking, only that Watanuki clamed up, her strange antics subdued for the moment. They reached her apartment in no time, walking up to her home and entering after she unlocked the door. She didn't bother to try to shove him on his merry way because she knew he was coming in no matter what. Besides, maybe his presence would compel some pesky to leave her alone for a while because they'd been annoying her while she was trying to sleep half the time and the other half was spent making the rest of her life miserable. Watanuki instructed Doumeki to place the dirty bento boxes on the kitchen counter so she could clean them for tomorrow. She then walked into her room and told the boy to occupy himself while she changed.

Doumeki looked around the kitchen, still impressed with the raven's knack for keeping even a rundown apartment like this in pristine, clean condition. It was impressive that everything was in its place knowing that the girl took out almost her entire stock of cooking equipment on a daily basis to cook for herself, her friends, and Yuko and the rest. Doumeki rested his hand on the counter top that he knew had been wiped up this morning after the bento lunches were packed away and wondered again how someone so young could be so efficient on her own. It still baffled him no matter how many times he thought about it. Even if he could take care of himself, he still had family around him and a home that was filled with other people and things to do. Watanuki only had herself in this little apartment, but she still took care of everything by herself. Before he thought about it anymore, Doumeki turned when her heard the floor squeak. The seer walked out of her room wearing casual pants and a tank top that Yuko probably gave her as a gag gift. It said, "Why always me?" which was pretty much Watanuki's catchphrase in life. She was still wearing the moon pendent and Doumeki felt a strange satisfaction that his payment was now around her neck. For protection, of course, but it was like he'd indirectly given her a gift. But he wasn't about to tell her that, because, let's face it, she'd take off in a heartbeat because it was another form of his and Yuko's "babysitting."

"What are you looking at?" She asked, her voice hovering between curiosity and annoyance as the archer was caught staring at her breasts for the second time that day.

"Your tank top."

"I don't know why I keep it but Yuko said she saw it in a shop in Ginza and said it was meant for me. I only saved it because I don't have any tank tops. And then I had to attract that frog spirit in the park fountain for a job and yadda, yadda, yadda just to compensate her." She swirled her hand around in circles to punctuate her point.

"Didn't I have to save you from getting eaten that time?" Doumeki commented offhandedly, still checking his girlfriend out in her regular clothes. She usually either wore their school's uniform or that full body apron she wore at Yuko's shop _over_ her school uniform.

"Yeah, let's not talk about it. I don't want to think about all that slime." The girl visibly shivered as she walked into the kitchen and turned on the sink. She started cleaning out the bento boxes and the brunette fell into step behind her. Doumeki dried them when the girl was finished washing them out and set them to dry on the counter. Once done, Watanuki turned around to lean on the counter, arm slung around her ribs, the other resting on it so that her hand was placed under her nose. The seer was muttering to herself, and Doumeki leaned in to hear her, her concentration ignoring him. She was listing off all the things she needed to do, once again solidifying herself as an independent, responsible person. Even if she saw spirits and wiggled like a noodle on occasion.

"There's my English homework, mathematics…I still need to make lunch for tomorrow…" She mumbled and Doumeki perked up at the mention of food.

"Tempura with tendon bowls and gyoza."

"Shut up!" She snapped. Doumeki smiled inwardly at her scrunched up face.

"Can I watch you make it half naked?"

"GET OUT!" She grabbed his shoulders and started shoving the heavier teen towards her door, the subject of her payment to Yuko still a sore spot. Doumeki scooped up his school bag as he was forced into the stairwell. His arms shot out to grab the door frame as he spun around to face Watanuki.

"Not until I get a kiss, Kimihiro." She growled as he loomed over her, eyes narrowing. She tried pushing him again, but he was welded to the floor, not budging an inch. She growled again and in defeat, stretched up to reach his lips. Their heads tipped together, mouths meshing roughly because of her frustration with him, but that just make the kiss more passionate. Doumeki's arms came down and wrapped up the smaller girl in a warm embrace. He loved moments like this when she lost it and just did what he wanted, it was cute to watch her realize she couldn't get the better of him. Lips locked together, Watanuki's arms came up to wrap around his torso, squeezing tightly like she wanted to crack his ribs and never let go. When they broke for air the two of them stared at each other, soft breaths panting over each other's faces. She made her move then while he was distracted by her mesmerizing mismatched eyes. Watanuki shoved him hard, his hold on her breaking as he stumbled outside her apartment.

"Here's the deal: you can kiss me in school, if you can catch me off guard, Shizuka." Watanuki gave Doumeki a peck on the cheek and shoved him further out the door. He smiled at his name, the one small victory warming his body even more that their kiss had. That and she was finally complying to the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing. "But only if you surprise me." She winked seductively and closed the door in his face. _She's becoming more like Yuko every day. I don't know whether to be excited about that or scared. What have I gotten myself into? _Doumeki wondered for a moment and then shrugged. _Challenge accepted, Kimihiro. And you know I don't lose. _Doumeki turned around and headed down the stairs so he could go home and plan the best way to catch her off guard and she in turn prepared herself not to be scared and then started looking around to see if she had all the things she needed to make tempura and gyoza. It was just how things went between the two of them.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

"This is going to be interesting. Don't you think so?" Yuko asked her furry companion as they sat outside on the porch sipping wine. With Watanuki gone, the pair could enjoy the whole bottle to themselves without and interruptions or nagging about getting hangovers and having to deal with it in the morning.

"Yeah! Should be fun!" Mokona chugged his glass and asked for another. Yuko poured for him, her tsubaki embroidered kimono slipping off her shoulders.

"I've very excited what happens to them. All the possibilities in store for those two…" Yuko smiled like she knew something of the future and wasn't about to tell anyone about it.

"Fun!~ Fun!~ Fun!~" Mokona chanted, rolling around on his stomach. The pair could hear Maru and Moro repeating the mokona's words inside the shop, the pattering of their feet sounding on the floor. Yuko smiled wider and sipped at her wine, the moon highlighting the blood red of her mischievous eyes.

"Yes…quite fun indeed."

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ The End Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ


	7. Side Story! Daydream!

A/N: ZareEraz here! This is the little side story that I promised you guys in the last update! This is really the last chapter for this fic, but I'm not going to quit writing for this fandom so be sure to visit it sometime to see if I've posted anything new! (I'm sure I will soon.) Enjoy!

The Man at the Crossroads Side Story! Daydream!

Watanuki opened her eyes when her alarm went off and yawned loudly. She stretched her arms up quickly to pull all of the sleep-kinks out of her body when her fist met something hard. She opened her eyes, her surroundings blurred by the fact that she wasn't wearing her glasses. There was someone in there with her. She plucked her glasses off the floor, set them on her face and rolled to lean on one elbow and see who it was. Doumeki had fallen on his butt, hand on his nose where she'd apparently punched him. She blinked at him disinterestedly, still walking up.

"Stalker. I can get you charged for breaking and entering." She stated flatly, hitting her alarm into submission and getting up to put her futon away. She straightened her pajamas before starting her morning routine. "If you thought that was going to surprise me, you're never going to get that kiss Shizuka." She picked up Doumeki's arm and dragged him out the door. "If you're going to walk me to school, you can wait outside, creep."

The door shut in his face and she sighed, a tedious day of not being surprised ahead of her. She scratched her head and went to get dressed. Uniform on, the ser pulled her hair up and went to eat breakfast. After that she begrudgingly walked over to the counter to make lunch…half naked per Yuko's price. Right before she took off her shirt, Watanuki heard a noise outside her kitchen window and eye peering through a crack in the curtains. She scowled, reaching for the curtain, shirt half up her belly and pulled the drapes open. Doumeki's face was right outside her kitchen staring at her. She rolled her eyes.

"Shizuka, I don't know how you got up there but get down before I push you off, pervert. I know what it feels like to fall off a building and you do not want to find out." She yanked the curtains shut before she could see his hurt puppy eyes (he hated bringing up that incident with Wari's bad luck because Watanuki had almost really died), and heard the clatter of the archer getting off the wall and disappearing. She quickly checked the lock on her door and nodded with satisfaction when it didn't budge. The seer then sighed and finished pulling off her shirt, laying it down nicely on the back of a chair and walking back into the kitchen in her bra.

It was strange to cook without a shirt or even her smock on and Watanuki had to be careful not to get food on her skin. She stared by preparing the shrimp and fish for dipping into tempura batter and then made the batter itself, carefully so she didn't get dirty. Then she poured oil into her frying pan followed by the batter and then began frying all the meat and vegetables. Once done with that, she packed the food into the three bento boxes and started making gyoza. Chopping up all the meat and vegetables for that dish, she then mixed them all together and placed them into the thin dough circles she'd made last night and then folded the edges together in the crimp style before frying those as well. She finished off the bentos with some raw cut fruit and a thermos of tea.

"Those are some beautiful bentos if I do say so myself!" Watanuki smiled at her handy work before closing the boxes and wrapping them up. With the kitchen clean, she wiped off her stomach and chest to make sure nothing was on her skin and then replaced her shirt. The seer grabbed her bag and walked out the door, locking it behind her. Doumeki was sitting on the stairs waiting for her and looked up when she came outside.

"What took you so long?" He asked in his monotone.

"I was making lunch!" She huffed. "So you'd better appreciate it!" Doumeki stood up and took the bentos from her hands, slinging his school bag over her shoulder.

"Let's go." They walked down the stairs and continued to the school in relative silence, Doumeki plotting ways to surprised Watanuki so he'd get that public kiss and Watanuki perfecting her not-surprised face. Wari joined them on the way to school and soon the three of them (two of them, really) were chatting up a storm, Watanuki still acting dorky around the curly-haired boy and Doumeki still feeling a little jealous about it. They made it to homeroom with no trouble, talking with other classmates until the teacher showed up. Each teen went to their assigned seats and bowed to their teacher before lessons started. They were learning about the Edo Period in class that day and Watanuki had already zoned out before five minutes had gone past, her mind seemingly disinterested. She stared out the window, her thoughts drifting through various things: lunch, what they were going to do in gym today, Doumeki's instance on making their relationship public, Yuko's teasing on their private relationship, what she was going to do for dinner and so on and before she knew it, Watanuki had fallen asleep sitting up.

Watanuki was sitting in the park, a blanket under her folded legs and a plate of food in her hands. She was sitting with Doumeki, Wari, Yuko and Mokona at a picnic and she wasn't cooking for once. The food was just appearing out of nowhere, but it tasted just as good as her own cooking. They were all laughing and having a good time, just like when they did this on Watanuki's birthday. The girl smiled, happy to be with her friends and happy that Doumeki wasn't shoving a bowl in her face and asking for seconds. That always ticked her off because he was so rude about it! But at least it meant he liked what she cooked. Anyway, the strangest thing about all this was that they were wearing Edo-style clothing, the girls in fantastical kimonos and the two boys in hamaka pants and haroi with katana swords by their sides along with Doumeki's practice bow. Watanuki asked what was going on and Yuko responded in her usual dramatic style that she thought it would be fun to play dress-up! Watanuki was just about to protest the silliness of it all (and the fact that Yuko played dress-up every day when it came to clothes) when a huge serpent spirit burst out of the park's brook and splashed them all with Mokona's evil laugh ringing out from where he was sitting atop the beast. Immediately Doumeki was up, bow at the ready and Wari had already drawn his sword. They attacked the serpent with macho yells and ninja runs as Yuko started chanting protection spells like some wizard. She also pushed the seer out of the way and told her to protect the sake at the expense of her life. Watanuki was about to spit something insulting back in her face when the giant serpent whipped back and forth, the attacks of the two boys opening up some pestering wounds on its body. Mokona howled in rage as his little pet was battered by Doumeki and Wari and used his own magic to rain down lightning bolts from the sky.

_This is getting ridiculous, _Watanuki thought, clutching the sake bottles in her arms, unsure how they got there. Doumeki and Wari dodged the lightning bolts, and Mokona sprouted wings of his own as they took down the giant serpent. He dive bombed the two boys, his own set of arrows raining down on them with little aim. Even Watanuki and Yuko had to avoid some stray arrows as the Mokona sent them flying all over the place. Doumeki tried to shoot the evil Mokona, but the pork bun was too fast for him to aim properly and Wari's swords didn't have the reach needed to dice him up. Then Yuko stepped up, throwing aside her kimono to reveal her black, leather-clad body, like some sort of assassin-ninja woman. She produced a butterfly net out of nowhere and engaged the flying Mokona in combat, his own butterfly net keeping up with hers blow for blow. They were trying to catch each other in the nets, neither succeeding until Yuko pulled out a hidden bottle of sake from her breasts and distracting the pork bun with it by throwing the contents in his open mouth. She then brought her net down with a vengeance and captured the Mokona with a triumphant laugh. Then she brought the black creature to the picnic blanket where Watanuki was waiting with the sake bottles and surprisingly enough, shared a drink with the puff ball that just attacked them. The see just sat there dumbfounded as everyone else started eating and drinking again until someone woke her up.

"Oi." The solitary word awoke the raven from her daydream and she scowled at the face shoved into hers. Doumeki was watching her, waiting for her to wake up after the lesson was over so he could startle her. It was a good thing the teacher didn't call on the girl because she had totally spaced out. But the unfortunate thing was, she didn't look at all surprised, just pissed.

"Out of my face!" She palmed the archer's forehead and got up out of her seat to go talk with Wari. Doumeki was left at her desk, foiled in his third attempt to catch her off guard. He was sure that being disturbed from whatever daydream she'd been having would've worked but after this morning's attempt at a rude wake up, he'd clearly underestimated her ability to keep it together. _Well, she does deal with spirits that are creepier than I am, so I guess I should've expected this to be a real challenge. But I can't lose this one! _The brunette pep-talked himself into giving it a thousand more tries if need be. And so he continued popping up in the most least likely places all around the school, like in the sports storage closet when Watanuki was asked to go get the soccer balls, appearing behind her when they both were supposed to be in class, showing up alone with her in the girl's bathroom (he got a scolding and a "PERVERT!" for that one) and once he'd even worn a fake afro to shake her up (courtesy of the drama department). Not only was she not surprised, she even snapped a picture on her phone to blackmail him with later.

Doumeki was getting very tired of trying to surprise the raven, because frankly, he was tired of getting yelled at for trying. But he wouldn't give up, not when a kiss was on the line. After a normal lunch (just to get her to relax) he continued to try and catch Watanuki off guard, much to the irritation of the seer and the amusement of Wari (who'd been filled in on what was going on beforehand). No luck for the archer, Watanuki was a wall of steel. By the end of the school day, he'd practically given up hope until he saw Watanuki talking with Wari out in the school yard before they left. She was facing away from him and the perfect plan sprouted in the boy's head, an evil internal smile gracing his brain. He walked up behind the seer slowly and casually tapped her on the shoulder. Watanuki felt that tap on her shoulder and she twitched in irritation. She knew exactly who it was.

"Doumeki, it's like you're not even trying anymore!" She growled turning around to verbally give the archer a beat down. She opened her mouth to lash his ear off when his face was shoved into hers. Her eyes shot wide open as their lips collided and she stood frozen for a split second – the school yard going silent for a moment – before jumping back from him. "Doumeki!" She said shakily, feeling the eyes of the entire school yard on them. "W-why did y-you do that?! I said you could kiss me only if you surprised me!"

"I did surprise you. So I kissed you." He had a barely-there smirk on his face that pissed the seer off, only she was too shaken up to do anything about it.

"No! You kissed me first!" She accused.

"No. I surprised you first."

"No!"

"Yes."

"No!"

"I'm going to have to go with Doumeki on this one, Watanuki." Wari spoke up, giggling at the two of them. "You eyes widened a split second before his lips touched yours, so he wins!"

"Wari~?! How could you take his side?!" Watanuki wriggled in defeat and annoyance. Doumeki's arm came up to wrap around her waist and he gave her a peck on the cheek in triumph. The school's female population gave an outraged shriek as their handsome crush claimed some other girl for himself. Watanuki cringed at the glares she was getting from the other girls, thoughts of horrible tortures flitting through her mind if they even cornered her alone.

"Now that that's settled, you can start calling me 'Shizuka' all the time, okay Kimi?" Doumeki asked, pulling the irritated girl even closer to his body.

"Did you have to shorten my name?" She spat as her boyfriend started leading her away from the murderous female classmates. "Maybe it should start calling you '_Zuka_' just to piss you off! And don't call me 'Kimi!'"

"It takes more than that to piss me off, Kimi." He answered, ignoring her command. She snarled back at him, but leaned in a little closer – to protect herself from the fangirls that were now stalking them. Wari just followed behind his friends, still giggling at Watanuki's inability to hide her frustration at being beat in her own wager.

"I hate you, Shizuka." She grumped.

"I love you too, Kimihiro." He stated calmly.

Wari just smiled at the both of them, happy that they finally proved they were together.

When Yuko heard what happened later that day at work, she fell on the floor laughing at the blushing Watanuki and didn't let it go for days, much to the girl's dismay.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ End Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

A/N: And that's it, folks! Don't worry! I'm going to keep writing so keep checking for postings! I hope you enjoyed this fic! Please leave a review it you liked it or have any suggestions for future stories. I'd love to hear from you! :3


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